I think you've all noticed that I have a bit of a soft spot for pretty girls... Only god knows how many actresses I've crushed on (I don't mean famous ones, I mean ones I've actually met in person). Wouldn't life be easier if we could just appreciation women for their personalities alone? I know it would rid me of about 60% of my ridiculously high standards - though it would not solve the problem (80% for most men) .
So what do you think the evolutionary purpose of physical attraction is?
We all know about the evolutionary attraction to physical attributes. Breasts, will feed the young; a high waste to hip ratio will make birth easier; good skin is synonymous with health; etc, etc. It improves our chances of procreation. But what about beauty? A perfectly shaped face. A slender figure? Most of these standards are at least partially created by our modern society. Merely flying to another continent, we see other cultures worshiping roundness and a different face and what do we do? We stimulate bulimia and anorexia. And the worst part of it is... I love slender (I'm part of the problem). This is not only irrational, but also unhealthy from a descendance point of view.
My question is: What possible genetical improvements would our descendants benefit from if we procreated with a beautiful woman? What is the evolutionary purpose of attraction to beauty if beauty is primarily cultural?
6 comments:
selecting the best mateing partner by which i don't mean the best in the sack ;) but rather some1 who will give you the best offspring. there might also be the fact that your progeniture is more likely to be good looking and therefore more likey to keep your genetic lineage alive.
this is just off the top of my head
got to go
peace and love
"alex"
wow, you guys have been busy (i have just quickly glanced at the blog). unfortunately i don't have the time to read and comment on your posts, though i will do so eventually.
note: Tim - would be nice if you would tag your posts with 'Tim'. i went back and edited your previous posts just keep it in mind for future posts
nice pic btw, not that you're in it or shot it, but... :) well, you chose it, there! a show of good taste :)
Yeah, she's AMAZING. Anyway, that's not what I meant by physical attraction. I'll edit the post itself to make it more understandable.
De gustibus non est disputandum
There is an entire realm of philosophy called aesthetics. What is art/beauty? Why do people usually universally recognize art/beauty? What is art's/beauty's purpose?
For Kant, beauty is a subjective experience of something universally objective. Everyone agrees the sunset is beautiful but the emotions which arise and the depth of the impact varies between individuals.
No matter what it is, pleasure, emotions and ultimately, energy for change, arise in its presence.
Since beauty confronts us with our emotions and has the Kantian subjective-within-universal dimension, it reveals general truths about ourselves and the world.
Therefore, beauty is a rare and valuable commodity .
I will simply bring forth this coarse statement to answer your question:
While a fertile mate is meant to 'be used', a beautiful mate is 'to own' to boost your social value
You can imagine that ownership of a valuable commodity can rhyme with high social status. To put it bluntly, it is like having a large amount of money with you. You usually need to compete to possess it, proving that you have great 'survival of the fittest' worth in the process. Ultimately, its possession is a crowning achievement for your reputation. Others will be in awe. What the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were to a civilization is what a beautiful mate is to a person. There must be evolutionary purpose in that...
You know, I think this may be the first time in a while that I've read something that I had never thought of before and agreed.
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