Caution: LONG POST - Put the coffee on!!!
I\'m going to shake up the Copulin discussion a little
by trying to apply what we know about evolutionary psychology to pheromones. Remember, however, that it\'s just a
THEORY, so it hasn\'t been proven to be 100% correct. It\'s just a scientific guess. Also, the theory may need
to adapt because of such things as contraception and medical care (which, IMO, would allow people with less
desirable characteristics to reproduce more and those with more desirable characteristics to reproduce less). There
is one study that I find particularly interesting, and after some background info I\'ll get into it:
Natural
Selection: Traits contributing to survival most likely to be passed on through generations
Also known as
\"Survival of the Fittest\"
Translation: Whatever traits allow you to live long enough to reproduce are passed
on to your offspring; those traits that lead to death before reproduction are not passed on
Sexual Selection:
Traits contributing to reproduction are most likely to be passed on through generations
Also known as \"Survival
of the Sexiest\"
Translation: The hotter you are, the more likely you are to have sex, the more likely you are
to have children, the more likely you are to have many children; the uglier you are, the less likely you are to have
sex/children/many children
Evolutionary psychology explanations of sexual desire:
-Psychological
characteristics/behaviors can be transmitted via natural selection
-Person does not consiously follow this, but the
ones who exibit certain behaviors are more likely to lead to reproduction
Translation: Sexually desirable
psychological characteristics also get you more sex, which also makes it more likely for you to reproduce and pass
on your psychological traits
Evolution of Desire
-Males seek sex with multiple partners in order to maximize the
likelihood of passing on their genes
-Women seek someone who will aid in the raising of a child
-\"In love\"
feeling lasts 1 1/2-2 years because it\'s the most crucial time for child development
-Both seek good health,
good genes
Gender differences in Sexual Desire
Men
-Seek fertility and fitness
-More jealous of sexual
infidelity
-Seek women 2.7 years younger
Women
-Seek ambition, success, resources
-More jealous of emotional
infidelity
-Seek men 3.4 years older
Okay, so you say, \"SO WHAT? That\'s old news...\" Well, here\'s an
interesting finding:
Women generally prefer \"softer, safer\" faces, but during ovulation they prefer
\"rugged\" faces
-Evolutionary psychology: \"rugged\" suggests stronger, fitter genes (healthier child), but
\"softer\" suggests more nurturing qualities (more help raising the child)
My old professor used Leonardo
DiCaprio and Josh Hartnett, but a more distinctive difference would probably be...
Boy Bands vs. Indiana Jones (aka
Harrison Ford ~ 1980+)
Now, the example would say that girls like the boys from NSync, 98-degrees, Backstreet
Boys, and even New Kids on the Block most of the time, but during ovulation need Harrison Ford to crash through
their doors with a whip and fedora to get ready for some hot, sweaty, rugged sex...
Applying this to pheros
(FINALLY): Well, this would show why -mones get inconsistent hits and also show why they seem to work best during
ovulation (women want a \"man\'s man\" during that time over all others). My question to everyone is: what can
work the rest of the time? A couple of people say that copulins might work, but the rest say \"No, women want
manly men.\" Well, then what about the boy band phenomenon? The truth is, a lot of women want \"pretty
boys\"... What -mone would you say promotes that image? WAGG/SOE? Who knows?
I realize that
a. many people
(*cough*Elana*cough* [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]) will say, \"That\'s not true for me!!!
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]), which is both true and fine. Nothing wrong with being
special.
b. We all know that everyone is different (really, is there anyone like Elana???) and there are no hard
and fast rules.
All that said, it\'s just some food for thought.
Note: According to this theory, if you
could just make a ton of money, boldly strive for achievement, and give emotional support to someone ~3 1/2 years
younger than you, you may not need -mones... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]
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