It takes a few milliseconds for your brain to decide whom you find attractive. Yet, most people still believe their mate choice is highly rational and conscious.
Remember the beautiful tail of the male peacock? Well, a wise man called Charles Darwin said his purpose was to stand out from the competition and attract fertile females. Researchers agree that humans, like animals, also possess such a sexual signal system.
If you don’t believe that, the following brain-wrecking studies will sure change your mind.
1. Fertile Women Can Smell a Man’s Genes
This is one of my favorites: the smelly T-Shirt experiment.
First executed in 1995, Wedekind et al. had several men wear the same T-Shirt a few days in a row. No deodorant or cologne was allowed. Then, women were put to the smell test and asked to rate the body scents.
The result was clear: Women who were close to ovulation preferred men with a complementary immune profile. More specifically, they rated men with a different MHC profile the most attractive. MHC genes are responsible for immune defense and the development of antibodies.
From an evolutionary view, this makes sense. A potential child receives genes from both parents. If these are dissimilar, it will have better chances to fight off diseases. In interviews by researcher Andrew Trees, some women even claimed they could “smell immediately if a man was right for them.”
Ever since MHC-gene studies have been replicated by other researchers. Unfortunately, due to our hygiene-obsessed society, it gets harder to identify a person’s immune profile by odor only. Luckily, saliva contains MHC genes too. Thus, kissing can also help you to “smell” or “taste” the right partner.
2. Women on the Pill Prefer Men Who Smell like Their Dad or Brother(s)
The above study revealed another disturbing finding: Women on the pill prefer men with a similar immune profile. They claimed the smells they liked reminded them of their father’s or brother’s odor.
How is this possible? Well, oral contraceptives are well known for pretending a constant pregnancy in the woman’s body. For our ancestors, staying close to family members during pregnancy guaranteed protection and care. When you are pregnant, you want to be around people who are familiar, make you feel safe, and avoid risks.
If you are on the pill, this is your everyday preference. However, it can be fatal to your mate choice: Similar MHC genes can cause several problems like difficulty conceiving, higher miscarriages, or diseases.
So, ladies, if you are on the pill you might want to consider changing your method of contraception. The female cycle is one of the most natural mechanisms and even helps you to choose the right partner.
3. Men Can Smell a Woman’s Ovulation
Here’s another one of my highlights: The Stripper Study.
In an experiment conducted in a strip club, scholars tested the influence of a woman’s cycle on earnings. The result was astonishing: Ovulating women made about 354$ per shift. Women who were not fertile made 264$ whilst menstruating females earned only half of that.
Researchers suspect men responded to several unconscious cues like favorable body smell or waist-to-hip ratio.
Other studies have shown that men’s testosterone levels increased drastically after smelling an ovulating woman’s body odor. This didn’t happen with non-ovulating women. Evolutionary, this is rationalizable: men want to pass on their genes to as many women as possible. Thus, it makes sense for them to be attracted to (and ultimately have sex with) fertile women.
Studies like these provide evidence that women, like animals, have an estrus i.e. when females are most receptive. Women’s butts might not turn bright red during ovulation (like female baboons), but they do seem to send some subtle cues.
4. Symmetric People Are the Most Desired. Even Babies Know That.
Studies all around the world have shown a common denominator when it comes to physical appearance: We are drawn to symmetrical people.
In a groundbreaking study by Langlois et al., it was proven that babies who were only 6 months old could distinguish attractive (symmetrical) faces from unattractive (asymmetrical) ones. That was even found to be true for faces babies had none or little exposure to, such as black women or 3-month-old infants.
Thus, the attractiveness of symmetry is universal, innate, and unaffected by social media or the beauty industry. More likely, it is an underlying evolutionary preference for healthy mates. Symmetry signals good genes and good health to the unconscious part of your brain. As a result, you’re likely to choose a symmetrical partner over an asymmetrical one to secure healthy offspring.
Interestingly, most participants of studies are unaware that their reactions are based on symmetry. This proves it’s a mostly automatic and unconscious factor in our mate choice.
5. Today, Women Still Look for Success Objects
Ever heard of the female boss who married the male secretary? Me neither.
It’s no coincidence that all over the world, men who are up higher in the hierarchy tend to marry women who are below them. I know it’s a horrible prejudice but if we look at recent data, women all around the world find men with ambitions, wealth, status, and prestige the most attractive.
All these characteristics send an important message: dominance. As of evolution, richer and more successful men stand out from the competition. They guarantee better resources and security for the woman in case of pregnancy. On the other hand, men want to “save” and protect women. This evolutionary force can be acted out easier if they choose someone with a lower status.
Studies even found men are much more likely than women to risk their health, security, and freedom to gain a higher position or status. It seems they intuitively know they can attract more women if they appear fearless and dominant.
6. Today, Men Still Look for Young Sex Objects
Whilst we do see mature women with younger men, older guys coupled with younger women are much more common.
According to evolutionary psychologists, it is less about bragging with a youthful partner and more about the unconscious need to pass on their genetic material.
Youth sends an important cue to the male brain: fertility. According to evolution, men should be most attracted to women who represent signs of fecundity. A study with more than 10.000 participants in 37 different cultures showed that indeed guys are more likely to choose women with youthful facial features.
In another experiment, psychologist Michael Cunningham compared pictures from “Miss Universe” contestants. The conclusion was clear: men are most drawn to women with full lips, big eyes, thick hair, and smooth skin. Again, all of these are cues of fertility that unconsciously target the male’s desire to spread his genes.
7. Ovulating Women Behave Promiscuously and Seek Sex
It makes sense for receptive women to have a higher sex drive as it’s the only time frame to get pregnant. Yet, many women are still unable to allocate their sexual desire to a certain period.
Various studies have shown that women behave differently during ovulation. For instance, they buy sexier clothes during fertility peaks than in other periods of their cycle. They dress more provocatively and wear more jewelry. They enjoy more porn and fantasize about having sex with someone other than their partner. Women even tend to avoid their fathers and consume fewer calories.
When estrogen is highest, it signals the woman’s brain that her biggest problem is mating. Nature has come at play once again: men are most attracted to ovulating women. Ovulating women, in turn, behave in ways that attract sex.
Final Words
You might not consciously perceive it, but your partner choice is still highly driven by evolutionary forces.
More and more studies prove humans have a sexual signal system and that Darwin was indeed right. Next time you are attracted to someone you might want to consider factors such as ovulation, symmetry, or the status of your “object of desire”. I know it makes attraction less romantic but it sure can explain, at least partly, why you are drawn to certain people.
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Previously Published on medium
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