Fertility perceptions, facial symmetry may play roles in mate selection
Tupac Chopra
selection
(U-WIRE) CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- What is it that attracts people to
each other?
For centuries, it has been food for thought for writers, singers and
poets. In more recent years, the answer increasingly has become fodder
for another field: science.
The theory of evolution says our bodies have evolved to maximize our
ability to survive and procreate. Though our brains afford us much
free will concerning the way we behave, evolutionary psychology
suggests that certain behavioral tendencies -- such as attraction --
are hardwired.
"Our mechanisms for attraction were adapted through millions of years
of evolutionary history," University of Virginia psychology professor
John Haidt said. "Mate selection is one of the most important things
we do."
Since human beings are built to reproduce and create descendents, they
prefer certain qualities over others, Haidt said.
For example, qualities that indicate fertility in the opposite sex may
translate into attractiveness.
"We are not consciously picking fertile people," he said. "We are
consciously picking people who we think are attractive. The question
then is why do we find them attractive?"
Some scientists use formulas like the waist-to-hip ratio to measure
perceptions of fertility. This simple ratio is derived by dividing the
waist measurement by the hip measurement.
"The waist-to-hip ratio connotes successful child-bearing," Assoc.
Psychology Prof. Stacey Sinclair said. "Narrow hips suggest you can't
bear children successfully. Ideal hips are wider than most people
assume."
Newsweek magazine reported in 1996 that "healthy, fertile women
typically have waist-hip ratios of 0.6 to 0.8, meaning their waists
are 60 to 80 percent the size of their hips."
The magazine cited a 1993 study that found a slight increase in the
ratio may indicate reproductive problems.
While the ratio may be important in formulating notions of
attractiveness, social scientists say other factors also play a role.
People sometimes can view facial symmetry as an indication of a
healthy person.
"Symmetry reflects a part of the developmental process," Haidt said.
"The only way to be completely symmetrical is to have nothing go wrong
in the process of development in any way."
This mainly applies to subtle differences in facial features -- major
differences rarely exist, according to some scientists. Natural
selection would prevent extreme asymmetry from surviving, Biology
Instructor Anna Edlund said.
Sociological and psychological studies have shown that people across
cultures, classes and age groups share impressions of attractiveness
based on symmetry. [Hi Petey]
"There is surprising cross-cultural similarity in features that people
find physically attractive," Sinclair said.
But people do not necessarily use this as the only determinant in
choosing a mate.
Attraction also "is driven by proximity and similarities," Sinclair
said; that is, people who spend a lot of time together and have
similar personalities tend to be attracted to each other. "There is
room for individual variation."
Do people across the world have the same perceptions of beauty? Some
social scientists maintain that a universal sense of attractiveness is
not intrinsic.
Rather, they argue mainstream Western culture has been filtered
through the media and may shape perceptions of beauty. Thus people
from several different cultures may have adopted these Western models
of beauty.
University of Virginia anthropology Prof. Richard Handler argues it is
unlikely that people everywhere ascribe to a single set of standards.
This conclusion is too vague to be meaningful, he said, and depends on
the definition of symmetry.
"What do symmetrical features mean? Is it vertical, horizontal? Does
it work irrespective of other factors?" he asked. "You would have to
prove that different people in different circumstances are privileging
the exact same things over and over again."
Yet certain studies may give insight into whether attraction to facial
symmetry is inherent in humans.
Judith Langlios, psychologist at the University of Texas, conducted a
study on babies' sense of attraction.
Newsweek reported that "the infants gazed significantly longer at
'attractive' white female faces than at 'unattractive' ones."
Edlund said she agrees that these results were due to facial symmetry.
"The more symmetrical the face, the longer the babies stared at it,"
she said.
Yet, despite some findings that indicate mate selection is rooted in
biology, some may still contend that attractiveness relies on
intangible factors.
[Yeah, and some people still believe the earth is flat. So what.]
"I do my part...behind the lines...
Swabbing door handles of cop cars
With D.M.S.O.....mixed with L.S.D." -- Dead Kennedys