Marta Kowal
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Cross-cultural and evolutionary psychologist

About me

Cross-cultural and evolutionary psychologist who investigates love, mate preferences, and relationship dynamics using large-scale studies.

109
peer-reviewed publications
3,626
citations on Google Scholar
30
h-index on Google Scholar
Dr Marta Kowal

Short Bio

Marta Kowal is a psychological researcher specializing in romantic relationships, love, mate attraction, and relationship dynamics.

Marta's academic background is firmly rooted in social and evolutionary psychology. Her research program integrates multiple methodological approaches, including large-scale cross-cultural surveys, experimental studies, and field studies in hard-to-reach societies (e.g., Maya people in Guatemala, Maori people in the Cook Islands, Dani people in Papua). This multi-method approach has yielded insights into universal patterns of mate preferences while also revealing important cultural variations.

Areas of Expertise

Research specializations and methodological competencies

Love
Studying love within romantic relationships.
Relationship Dynamics
Exploring the psychological and behavioral factors contributing to long-term partnership success.
Cross-Cultural Research
Investigating universal and culture-specific patterns in mating psychology.
Evolutionary Psychology
Applying evolutionary frameworks to understand modern human behavior and psychological adaptations.

Grants

Research funding awarded by the National Science Centre, Poland

  1. 2025–2028

    Impact of love on psychological well-being

    SONATA-20 · National Science Centre, Poland · Reg. no. 2024/55/D/HS6/00262

    ~275 000 EUR

  2. 2025–2027

    Love Across Borders: Unveiling Cultural Dynamics of Love Over 100 Countries Worldwide

    DAINA-3 · National Science Centre, Poland · Reg. no. 2024/52/L/HS6/00066 · Principal investigator: prof. Piotr Sorokowski

    ~235 000 EUR

  3. 2020–2024

    Improving one’s physical attractiveness–sex and cross-cultural comparison

    PRELUDIUM-17 · National Science Centre, Poland · Reg. no. 2019/33/N/HS6/00054

    ~44 000 EUR

  4. 2020–2023

    Homo Aestheticus: Testing Evolutionary Aesthetic Hypotheses in Four Tribal Populations

    OPUS-18 · National Science Centre, Poland · Reg. no. 2019/35/B/HS1/02293 · Principal investigator: prof. Piotr Sorokowski

    ~141 000 EUR

  5. 2018–2020

    Parent's Time Perspective and Children's Experience of Postsurgical Pain and Children's Behaviours after Surgery

    OPUS-12 · National Science Centre, Poland · Reg. no. 2016/23/B/HS6/03888 · Principal investigator: prof. Małgorzata Sobol-Kwapińska

    ~90 000 EUR

  6. 2018

    Comparison of the effectiveness of tactile and visual stimuli as distractions from short-term pain

    MINIATURA · National Science Centre, Poland · Reg. no. 0213/2054/18 · Principal investigator: dr Marcin Czub

    ~2 500 EUR

Professional Memberships

Active participation in academic societies and professional organizations

  • HBESHuman Behavior and Evolution Society
  • PTNCEPolish Society for Human and Evolution Studies
  • EHBEAEuropean Human Behaviour and Evolution Association
  • SPSPSociety for Personality and Social Psychology
  • ISHEInternational Society for Human Ethology
  • TLCThe Love Consortium

Talks and interviews

Recordings in which the research is explained for a general audience.