What is Attractive?
Posted in Weird Science on July 13th, 2007 by Erin DietrichAlthough we like to debate our origin, evolution and the role of a higher power, the basic tenant remains that we are part of the animal kingdom -regardless of how we got here. We are biological beings.
Reproduction is one of the main drivers of the animal kingdom. To ensure one’s genes survive, one wants to reproduce with the strongest and healthiest mate. Finding that mate is typically based on a quick gauge of another’s physical attributes. Really, when being chased across the savanna or through a jungle by a predator, who has the time to determine if you share interest?
Since humans are indeed animals, we have these signals as well. Some are so biologically ingrained that they have transcended time and have found their way into modern culture. We judge potential mates based on many of the same tenants.
Imagine you are belly up at your local pub. A lovely young woman enters the bar. She has long, blonde hair and is beautifully proportioned. She has large and perky breasts and a skirt that reveals sculpted legs and a behind. Every head in the bar turns. Why? Because biology beckons, not culture. Let me explain:
While research has found men rate “attractiveness” as the most important factor in determining appeal of one of the opposite gender, while women rated “commitment” as the most important factor. Think about it, men have millions of sperm, while women have a limited number of eggs. Pregnancy and child rearing is long and arduous, so women base more on longevity and security. This leads women to seek other things from a mate than their hair color and proportions. Women are looking for food, safety and protection. Is this why women’s heads still turn when a man in a nice car drives by? This is now our cultures signal for security.
This leads to questions regarding what is attractive. When you find that “soul mate” is it really someone who you can have deep, meaningful conversations with? Or is it just the person who biologically fulfills your needs, and your subconscious is just toying with you?
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July 13th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
Biology is only a small piece of the mate selection process. Conditioning overrides biological drives. Body type ideals are conditioned likes and dislikes due to over exposure to images of the ideal body type in the media. The average indiivdiual views sixty billion images of ther perfect body type in a lifetime. Men are the most vulnerable to this sort of conditioning. They are likely to become hypnotized in other words to seek out physcial perfection. Fortunately, there is another drive opperating in our human consciousness. That is the subconscious drive for a soul matee, someone who complements our personality with an opposite reflection of an inborn intelligence–Yin complementing Yang. This drive is more powerful that the other two.
Let me leave you with the following quote from my new book Divine Complemet:
” The beauty of our Divine Complement is reflected before our heart. It is our heart that calls the beauty forth. And it is the heart that must persuade the mind to shed all the illusions of conditioning.” Visit may site to read about my new book. I know you will enjoy it. blessings…Ariadne
July 14th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Adriadne,
Thank you for your comment. You have some very interesting points. I hadn’t realized the shear number of times we experience images of the “perfect body type”. 60 billion is a startling number.
This raises the question again as to what the perfect body type is and how is this determined. Many of these these traits link back to biological indicators of another’s ability to help propagate your genes. Conditioning may not be overriding these biological drives, but actually cementing them.
I found an interesting post about high heels that illustrates this. Surprisingly high heels set off some sort of biological/reproduction flags in our head, and not necessarily because it’s been conditioned to do this. A study suggests the appeal of the high heel is that when wearing them they create “the visual illusion of lordosis (arching of the back when a female is in a sexually receptive position) and furthermore accentuates the body curves that are particularly appealing to men.” Further, a 2-inch heel results in a 20 degree “lift of the buttocks.”
We try so hard to forget we are animals, but even while trying to act like we are not animals (what other animal can survive by wearing such paralyzing footwear?), we continue to operate based on our biological drives.
July 19th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Based on your article, I think I should buy a new car.
July 19th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Duncan - Why stop at a new car - aim for the stars - in the form of your own personal airplane! As for me, I have been feeling an overwhelming urge to dye my hair bleach blond and wear stiletto heels.
July 24th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
It can be amusing to look back in history at fashion and media trends. Views of beauty have changed considerably. On a deeper level, perhaps this is a reflection of changing ideas of vanity, depth, self-confidence and enduring values?
Why is it do you think that voluptuous women aren’t still in style in all cultures? Some civilizations admire women in realtion to their size. Should smaller or larger be better? What do our value judgements say about ourselves? In some cultures, larger-sized women are highly-valued because this means they are well taken care of by their husbands (or families). Thus the husbands and families are also admired and respected.
July 24th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Liara, I am intrigued - how would you say the changing views of beauty relate to ideas of vanity, depth, self-confidence, etc? I can see the correlation biologically and culturally, but this is a level I have yet to explore.
I think the changing desire for size has to do with the classic “have” and “have-nots” in a society. When people have little resources it is desirable for a woman to be bigger. This proves, as you stated, that they are well taken care of. On the flip side though, when people have many resources it seems to go the opposite direction and it is very appealing to be thin. For example, in America food is relatively abundant. Rather than embracing bigger sizes, thin is in style. The thinner the better is the overriding belief, despite obvious health issues.
As far breast size, I still argue there is a biological trigger for men towards voluptuous women. Looking back through history and over cultures this is relatively consistent. The recent movement away from this in some circles or cultures may be due to the rise in the gender neutral look. However, I would argue, that despite fashion, men still have the trigger for larger and perkier breasted women. But, I cannot speak for the opposite gender. Any men want to weigh in on this?
July 25th, 2007 at 12:20 am
For me it’s all about proportion. I don’t care how big a woman’s breasts are as long as they are in proportion with the rest of her body. That means small breasts can be even more attractive than large ones, depending on body shape and size. And it also means that some petite women who get breast implants because they think bigger is better, are actually doing themselves a disservice (at least where I’m concerned).
So as an example, Scarlett Johansson and Evangeline Lilly are equally attractive.
July 25th, 2007 at 3:22 am
Hi Jenny.
To clarify, I sense that how each of us perceive beauty is deeply rooted in our values and socio- cultural conditioning. If you behave and make choices solely based on what other people think is beautiful, then you may not recognize the basis for your own vanity. if your level of self-confidence changes based on external influences, you can still transform and listen closer to yourself. If you evolve to behave based on what you decide is beautiful, then its possible you’ll rise above superficial (pop cultural/ mainstream magazine) views of beauty.
For example, if a person is raised in a society with strong religious influences, then that person’s ideas about beauty may be closely linked to those imposed by the person’s religion. This could relate to acceptable clothing, attitude, demeanor or whatever that fits the religious status quo.
Beauty can be physical, intellectual, emotional or link other qualities. By ‘quality’, I mean something you detect in a thing or person that allows you to experience intense pleasure or deep satisfaction in your mind.
When it comes to buildings, nature or, people, beauty to me is a feeling I associate with uniqueness, warmth, rays of light or other reasons I feel serene in the presence of something or someone. For me, beauty is discerned deeper than physical appearances. Whether or not someone has had a facelift, a tummy tuck, breast enlargements or other sugery wouldn’t influence my view about beauty. Yet, I tend to intuit insecurity in people is based on a lack of inner beauty or a lack of self-acceptance.
Consider actresses like Demi Moore and actors like Michael Douglas who pay a hefty price for using plastic surgery to slow the visible aging process. Curiously enough, artificial changes can actually speed up underlying aging and cause more self-consciousness about a lack of perceived physical beauty. Wonder what the world would be like if everyone accepted themselves as they are? A lot of people (plastic surgeons, magazine editors, papprazzi and others) would be out of work!
July 25th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Hmmm, I don’t really have anything to add to this conversation. I think both biology and psychology likely play a role in why certain individuals are attracted to one another and guide what we find attractive.
I don’t particularly care what others find attractive (unless I’m attracted to them). The quest for perfection or ageless youth seems something that “broken” people aspire to but that’s just my opinion…
Oh, and I just had one other completely random thought. I wonder if it is possible that the reason bone thin women are so “in” has something to do with our species becoming concerned with overpopulation? If one is too thin it is much harder to both become pregnant and sustain a pregnancy to term.
July 25th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Oh Jenny, that is an interesting thought!
July 25th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Hmmm, Jenny, I think you’re very kind to try to lend credence to the validity of the culture of waif-thin supermodels, but I also think you give it too much credibility. I highly doubt that concerns of overpopulation would override the drive to continue the species. Awareness that overpopulation could ultimately *end* the species (or at least set us back a lot) might be enough to override that primal drive, but when it comes down to picking a mate, I doubt anyone thinks that far ahead. Though maybe they might choose someone thin because of the financial relief provided by not having to support a child.
Another question is, who still finds bone thin women appealing? Surely it’s not guys, I’m not aware of any typical blokey mags which feature bone thin women. So is it just the fashion industry, and if so, why? I could be cynical and suggest that thin women equals less material per outfit equals greater profit, but it has to be more than that, right? Especially when the material isn’t anywhere near as expensive as the end product (so the difference in profit margin between, say, a size 4 dress and a size 6 dress, wouldn’t be that large). But then I don’t know, I’m not involved in the fashion industry. Thankfully.
July 25th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
“Another question is, who still finds bone thin women appealing? Surely it’s not guys, I’m not aware of any typical blokey mags which feature bone thin women.”
Hah, hah! Great question…
July 30th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Erin - I like to stay closer to the ground. I am considering one of those hybrid cars, so I can zoom past the gas station while others are paying outrageous prices on gas.