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]