The Science Behind Attraction
Ever wonder why we find some people attractive and not others? Turns out the mechanisms underlying attractiveness are deeply rooted in our biology.
From an evolutionary perspective, the mission of every living organism is to pass on its genes to future generations, thereby perpetuating the species. We seek out partners who can offer us the greatest chance of reproductive success and this is determined by a multitude of factors such as taste, smell and symmetry.
Taste
As it turns out, the act of kissing delivers genetic information determining whether or not that person is a suitable mate.
Some researchers have described saliva as a chemical cocktail possessing valuable information on the genetic quality of a partner. People with higher levels of dopamine tend to be attracted to those like themselves. The same can be said for those expressing high levels of serotonin. Interestingly, those expressing higher levels of testosterone in their saliva preferred oestrogen dominant partners and vice versa.
Smell
Compatibility can also be detected via smell. Pheromones are chemical messengers emitted from sweat glands containing information on genetic potential. Men with higher levels of pheromone, Androsterone, were rated the most sexually appealing to women. Although, only 10% of the male population secrete Androsterone.
Rh factor can also be detected through smell and variances in the protein can have dire consequences. When an Rh-negative woman becomes pregnant with an Rh-positive baby, her immune system creates Rh antibodies that attack the developing foetus, leading to possible birth defects or even foetal death. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Rh-negative women tend to prefer Rh-negative men.
Symmetry
Both men and women have reported higher attractiveness to partners with facial symmetry. But how is symmetry related to genetic potential? Well, researchers found facial symmetry is positively correlated with lower occurrences of respiratory disease. Secondly, male body symmetry was linked to higher counts of sperm and sperm speed per ejaculate. Similarly, breast symmetry in women is positively correlated with increased fertility.
Evidence suggests men are more attracted to women with smaller waist-to-hip ratios (WHR). Women rated highest in attractiveness had a WHR of 0.7. The theory behind this is that WHR’s are a predictor of health and fertility, as higher ratios are indicators of obesity and compromised endocrine health.
Gender Differences in Partner Selection
As we know the reproductive burden is much higher for females than for males. Females must carry their young for 9 months and then face the challenge of breastfeeding and recovering after giving birth. Because of this women have evolved to seek out reliable partners who can provide safety and security, while men prefer partners who express greater signs of fertility i.e. youth, feminine appearances, health cues, etc.
Human biology is a sophisticated means of finding a suitable partner. We’ve evolved to select partners based on cues that inform us of health state and genetic compatibility to increase procreation success and therefore have our genes persist long after we’ve expired.
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References
Flegr, J., Kuba, R., & Kopecký, R. (2020). Rhesus-minus phenotype as a predictor of sexual desire and behavior, wellbeing, mental health, and fecundity. PloS one, 15(7), e0236134. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236134
Grammer, K., Fink, B., & Neave, N. (2005). Human pheromones and sexual attraction. European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology, 118(2), 135–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2004.08.010
Islam M. N. (2021). Gender differences in mate selection criteria among university students in Bangladesh: A study from the social homogamy perspective. Heliyon, 7(6), e07378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07378
Kościński K. (2014). Assessment of waist-to-hip ratio attractiveness in women: an anthropometric analysis of digital silhouettes. Archives of sexual behavior, 43(5), 989–997. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0166-1
Little, A. C., Jones, B. C., & DeBruine, L. M. (2011). Facial attractiveness: evolutionary based research. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 366(1571), 1638–1659. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0404
Wlodarski, R., & Dunbar, R. (2014). What's in a Kiss? The Effect of Romantic Kissing on Mate Desirability. Evolutionary Psychology, 12(1), 147470491401200. doi: 0.1177/147470491401200114
