Sexual attraction: Difference between revisions
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A research conducted by Donald G Dutton and Arthur P. Aron aimed to find the relation between sexual attraction and high anxiety conditions. In doing so, 85 male participants were contacted by an attractive female interviewer at either a fear-arousing bridge{{vague|highway bridge?|date=July 2012}} or a normal bridge. Conclusively, it was shown that the male participants who were asked to by the female interviewer to perform [Thematic Apperception Test] on the fear-arousing bridge, wrote more sexual content in the stories and attempted, with greater effort, to contact the female interviewer after the experiment than those male participants who performed the TAT (Thematic Apperception Test) on the normal bridge. Another test was done, a male participant, chosen from a group of 80, was given anticipated shocks. Along with the male was an attractive female confederate, who was also being shocked. The experiment showed that the male's sexual imagery in the TAT was much higher when self shock was anticipated and not when the female confederate shock was anticipated.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dutton|first=Donald G|coauthors=Arthur P. Aron|title=Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety|journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology|year=1974|volume=30|issue=4|doi=10.1037/h0037031|url=http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/30/4/510/|pages=510–7|pmid=4455773}}</ref> |
A research conducted by Donald G Dutton and Arthur P. Aron aimed to find the relation between sexual attraction and high anxiety conditions. In doing so, 85 male participants were contacted by an attractive female interviewer at either a fear-arousing bridge{{vague|highway bridge?|date=July 2012}} or a normal bridge. Conclusively, it was shown that the male participants who were asked to by the female interviewer to perform [Thematic Apperception Test] on the fear-arousing bridge, wrote more sexual content in the stories and attempted, with greater effort, to contact the female interviewer after the experiment than those male participants who performed the TAT (Thematic Apperception Test) on the normal bridge. Another test was done, a male participant, chosen from a group of 80, was given anticipated shocks. Along with the male was an attractive female confederate, who was also being shocked. The experiment showed that the male's sexual imagery in the TAT was much higher when self shock was anticipated and not when the female confederate shock was anticipated.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dutton|first=Donald G|coauthors=Arthur P. Aron|title=Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety|journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology|year=1974|volume=30|issue=4|doi=10.1037/h0037031|url=http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/30/4/510/|pages=510–7|pmid=4455773}}</ref> |
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==The attraction to "Bad Boys"== |
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Mentioned in the article by Rebellon and Manasse (2004)<ref>Rebellon, Cesar, Manasse, Michelle (2004). "Do bad boys really get the girls? Delinquency as a cause and consequence of dating behavior among adolescents", ''Justice Quarterly'', 21(2), 360, 361.</ref>, the reason for female attraction to "bad boys" could be that evolutionarily, delinquency and taking risks were signs of strength having to do with courage and bravery. As has been discovered by studies on teste size, the larger the testes of an animal, the more competition they had to engage in to get to a female. Between the size of the testes of chimps- with large testes and much polygamy- and gorillas- with small testes and very monogamous relationships- are the human male testes size. This indicates that our ancestors experienced some competition in mating and male and females were not always monogamous. Another point is that in species where males are larger than females, they practice polygamy. |
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In this sense, it was important for females to look for males that were stronger, would take more risks, and had more bravery because those were the males who would more likely succeed in reproducing. Likewise, just as the "bad boy" behavior that the male a female mates with exists, her offspring will more than likely have this "bad boy" attribute and will be more likely to reproduce than other weak, submissive males. |
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According to Zahavi & Zahavi (1996)<ref>Zahavi, A., & Zahavi, A. (1996). "The handicap principle: A missing piece of Darwin's puzzle", ''New York: Oxford University Press''.</ref>, when males perform acts of violence, it is usually done in the midst of an audience. The presence of the audience indicates that these acts of violence and bravery are not just to dominate a rival but also to impress others and create a reputation to communicate that they are strong and no one should mess with them. |
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"In cross-cultural research concerning male and female attraction, Buss (1994) finds consistently across 37 cultures on six continents that males value the physical appearance of prospective mates more than they value their social status, and the opposite is true among females" (Rebellon, 2004, pp. 361). This is just reinforcing the reason why females want a "bad boy". They don't care about his looks, but they certainly care about how he can appeal to a crowd in their social group and or intimidate others by his strength and bravado. |
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"Do young women prefer dating “jerk” guys rather than “nice” guys? It depends. The results of this study seem to indicate that young women equate nice guys who are physically attractive, funny/witty, strong, confident, romantic, exciting, and someone their friends would like with “good guys,” but that being perceived as sweet/nice has the potential to turn that same nice guy into a “too nice,” “loser guy.” Young women appear to see fun/sexy guys as general purpose dating partners especially during the experimental phase, and they may be more willing to favor his personality traits over those of a nice guy when (they think) their perceptions of fun/sexy guy have been confirmed by their friends. However, dating a nice guy may require a more serious attitude toward dating from young women and more confidence in their own ability to judge another’s character accurately. Experience is usually the best teacher in social situations such as dating. And, finding a “good guy” prince among several possible “nice” suitors may necessitate kissing a lot of “loser” frogs—something that recreational dating young women simply may not have the time, patience, or inclination to do. In the end, young women may continue to claim that they find certain qualities in a “good guy” nice guy as highly desirable and that they want to be in a committed relationship with one man as their ultimate goal, but, at the same time, they seem content to spend “the meantime and inbetween- time” going out with fun/sexy guys who may or may not turn into 'jerks'." <ref>McDaniel, K. Anita (2005). "Young Women's Dating Behavior: Why/Why Not Date a Nice Guy?", ''Sex Roles'', 53(5/6).</ref> |
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==Female Preference for Masculine Morphology== |
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Human females find facial symmetry as a desirable trait in males. After faces have been manipulated to either be more symmetrical or less symmetrical, females repeatedly choose the more symmetrical one. Evolutionarily, both males and females became more sensitive to symmetry throughout both the face and body because its presence indicates positive overall health as well as an absence of impairments or disabilities that have the genetic potential to also affect future offspring. Regardless of gender, both sexes look for signs of adequate health with any hint of illness or disease acting as a deterrent from other attractive features.“Masculine face-shape traits include wide cheekbones, mandibles and chins, prominent brow ridges, long lower faces, and thin lips.”<ref>Scotta, M.L. Isabel, Penton-Voakd, S. Ian, Clarkb, P. Andrew, Boothroydc, G. Lynda (2013). “Do men’s faces really signal heritable immunocompetence?” ''Behavioral Ecology'', 24(3):579-589. doi: 10.1093/beheco/ars092</ref> For men, testosterone has been linked to an increase in certain dimorphic characteristics. For instance, mandible length and face height is correlated with increases in testosterone. This increase in masculinity can be associated with ‘good-genes’ that females desire for their offspring.<ref>Burt, D.M., Little, A.C., Penton-Voak, I.S., Perrett, D.I. “Self-perceived attractiveness influences human female preferences for sexual dimorphism and symmetry in male faces” (2001). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1327</ref> The masculinity can be associated with aggressive and dominant behavior that is a direct result of increased testosterone. In many situations, females would desire a male that can provide security for her and their offspring. In addition, males can become more competitive with increased testosterone and in intrasexual mating systems, this could determine the winner in male-male competition.<ref>Scotta, M.L. Isabel, Penton-Voakd, S. Ian, Clarkb, P. Andrew, Boothroydc, G. Lynda (2013). “Do men’s faces really signal heritable immunocompetence?” ''Behavioral Ecology'', 24(3):579-589. doi: 10.1093/beheco/ars092</ref> In addition, attraction is also enhanced when other females find the male attractive. This is known as the [[sexy son hypothesis]]. |
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==Female Preference for Male Voice Pitch== |
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Females prefer males with lower-pitched voices. Voice pitch in males is an androgen-dependent trait, and such traits are a signal of health and good fitness.<ref>Puts, D.A. (2005). "Mating context and menstrual phase affect women's preferences for male voice pitch", "Evolution and Human Behavior", 26(5): 388-397.</ref> Lower voices are a sign of masculinity and higher levels of testosterone, which in turn signals a greater chance that a mate will pass on healthy, attractive heritable characteristics future offspring.<ref>Puts, D.A. (2005). "Mating context and menstrual phase affect women's preferences for male voice pitch", "Evolution and Human Behavior", 26(5): 388-397.</ref> However, masculinity is also signals a decreased likelihood that a mate will invest in the relationship as well as subsequent offspring.<ref>Smith, D. S., Jones, B. C., Feinberg, D. R., & Allan, K. (2012). A modulatory effect of male voice pitch on long-term memory in women: Evidence of adaptation for mate choice?. Memory & Cognition, 40(1), 135-144.</ref> For this reason, women tend to prefer men with lower voices. |
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==Women Changing Men as a Mating Strategy== |
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When a woman considers dating a man, they often discuss their likes and dislikes. If they have absolutely nothing in common, the pair probably won't date each other again and the relationship will most likely end there. But, if they do have some things in common, women tend to employ a sneaky strategy. A woman may deem a man to be decent enough, but there are some things that she’d like to change to match her expectations for an ideal mate. The key to the strategy seems to be to act okay with most of the things the guy does in order to gain commitment. Once the girl and her new mate are comfortable enough, she'll begin the strategy of slowly changing the things that bother her, such as smoking, drinking, womanizing etc. Women are often hasty to get into a relationship likely due to the fact that their prime fertility age ends at 27, and they want the security of having a stable mate. Rather than waste valuable time trying to find the perfect mate, they may try to find the closest possible one to what they need, and then just tweak him. This process is not unlike buying a car: it might not come with all of the desired accessories, so one may be inclined to add parts later (see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermarket_%28automotive%29 Aftermarket]) In an article from the Discovery Channel website, one of the secrets of the female brain is that "Women Are Natural Leaders…" and “...women have the ability to look at the big picture..." "These skills help generate a variety of creative options that assist in formulating future plans." [http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-secrets-female-mind.htm] Though this specific example is referring to business, it may also apply to a woman's future with a mate and their strategies to acquire said mate. They see what could be, so once it's appropriate (though it never really is) they begin the attempted transformation. |
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== Enhancement == |
== Enhancement == |
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Revision as of 19:41, 25 April 2013
Sexual attraction is attraction on the basis of sexual desire or the quality of arousing such interest.[1][2] Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal refers to an individual's ability to attract the sexual or erotic interest of another person, and is a factor in sexual selection or mate choice. The attraction can be to the physical or other qualities or traits of a person, or to such qualities in the context in which they appear. The attraction may be to a person's looks or movements or to their voice or smell, besides other factors. The attraction may be enhanced by a person's adornments, clothing, perfume, hair length and style, and anything else which can attract the sexual interest of another person. It can also be influenced by individual genetic, psychological, or cultural factors, or to other, more amorphous qualities of the person. Sexual attraction is also a response to another person that depends on a combination of the person possessing the traits and also on the criteria of the person who is attracted.
Though attempts have been made to devise objective criteria of sexual attractiveness, and even measure it as one of several bodily forms of capital asset (see erotic capital), a person's sexual attractiveness is to a large extent a subjective measure dependent on another person's interest, perception, and sexual orientation. For example, a gay or lesbian person would typically find a person of the same sex to be more attractive than one of the other sex. A bisexual person would find either sex to be attractive. Asexuality refers to those who do not experience sexual attraction for either sex, though they may have romantic attraction (homoromantic, biromantic or heteroromantic). Interpersonal attraction includes factors such as physical or psychological similarity, familiarity, similarity, complementarity, reciprocal liking, and reinforcement.[3]
The ability of a person's physical and other qualities to create a sexual interest in others is the basis of their use in advertising, film, and other visual media, as well as in modeling and other occupations.
Social and biological factors
Human sexuality has many aspects. In biology, sexuality describes the reproductive mechanism as well as the basic biological drive that exists in all sexually reproducing species and can encompass sexual intercourse and sexual contact in all its forms. There are also emotional and physical aspects of sexuality. These relate to the bond that exists between individuals, which may be expressed through profound feelings or emotions. Sociologically, it can cover the cultural, political, and legal aspects; philosophically, it can span the moral, ethical, theological, spiritual, and religious aspects.
Which aspects of a person's sexuality attract another is influenced by cultural factors, and has varied over time, as well as personal factors. Influencing factors may be determined more locally among sub-cultures, across sexual fields, or simply by the preferences of the individual. These preferences come about as a result of a complex variety of genetic, psychological, and cultural factors.
A person's physical appearance has a critical impact on their sexual attractiveness. This involves the impact one's appearance has on the senses, especially in the beginning of a relationship:
- Visual perception (how the other looks and acts or moves, for example while dancing);
- Audition (how the other's voice and movements sound);
- Olfaction (how the other smells, naturally or artificially; the wrong smell may be repellent).
As with other animals, pheromones may also have an impact, though less significantly in the case of humans. Theoretically, the "wrong" pheromone may cause someone to be disliked, even when they would otherwise appear attractive. Frequently a pleasant smelling perfume is used to encourage the member of the opposite sex to more deeply inhale the air surrounding its wearer,[citation needed] increasing the probability that the pheromones from the individual will also be inhaled. The importance of pheromones in human relationships is probably limited and is widely disputed,[unreliable source?][4] although it appears to have some scientific basis.[5]
Many people exhibit high levels of sexual fetishism, and are sexually stimulated by other stimuli not normally associated with sexual arousal. The degree to which such fetishism exists or has existed in different cultures is controversial.
Pheromones have been determined to play a role in sexual attraction between people. They influence gonadal hormone secretion, which for example. Follicle maturation in the ovaries in females, testosterone and sperm production in males.[6]
Sexual attraction and high anxiety
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A research conducted by Donald G Dutton and Arthur P. Aron aimed to find the relation between sexual attraction and high anxiety conditions. In doing so, 85 male participants were contacted by an attractive female interviewer at either a fear-arousing bridge[vague] or a normal bridge. Conclusively, it was shown that the male participants who were asked to by the female interviewer to perform [Thematic Apperception Test] on the fear-arousing bridge, wrote more sexual content in the stories and attempted, with greater effort, to contact the female interviewer after the experiment than those male participants who performed the TAT (Thematic Apperception Test) on the normal bridge. Another test was done, a male participant, chosen from a group of 80, was given anticipated shocks. Along with the male was an attractive female confederate, who was also being shocked. The experiment showed that the male's sexual imagery in the TAT was much higher when self shock was anticipated and not when the female confederate shock was anticipated.[7]
Enhancement
People consciously or subconsciously enhance their sexual attractiveness or sex appeal for a number of reasons. It may be to attract someone with whom they can form a deeper relationship, for companionship, procreation, or an intimate relationship, besides other possible purposes. It can be part of a courtship process. This can involve physical aspects or interactive processes whereby people find and attract potential partners, and maintain a relationship. These processes, which involve attracting a partner and maintaining sexual interest, can include flirting, which can be used to attract the sexual attention of another in order to encourage romance or sexual relations, and can involve body language, conversation, joking, or brief physical contact.[8]
Sex and sexuality differences in sexual attraction
Men have been found to have a greater interest in uncommitted sex compared to women[9] as well as a greater interest in visual sexual stimuli.[10] Additional trends have been found with a greater sensitivity to partner status in women choosing a sexual partner and men placing a greater emphasis on physical attractiveness in a potential mate, as well as a significantly greater tendency toward sexual jealousy in men and emotional jealousy in women.[11]
Bailey, Gaulin, Agyei, and Gladue (1994) analyzed whether these results would vary according to sexual orientation. In general, they found biological sex played a bigger role in the psychology of sexual attraction than orientation. However, there were some differences between homosexual and heterosexual women and men on these factors. While gay men and straight men showed similar psychological interest in casual sex on markers of sociosexuality, gay men showed a larger number of partners in behaviour expressing this interest (proposed to be due to a difference in opportunity). Self-identified lesbian women showed a significantly greater interest in visual sexual stimuli than heterosexual women and judged partner status to be less important in romantic partnerships. Heterosexual men also had a significantly greater preference for younger partners than homosexual men.[12]
See also
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References
- ^ "Sexual attraction". thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ "Sexual attraction". dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ Miller, R., Perlman, D., and Brehm, S.S. Intimate Relationships, 4th Edition, McGrawHill Companies.[page needed]
- ^ "Will pheromones make you irresistible to the opposite sex?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
- ^ "First Evidence of a Human Response to Pheromones". ScientificAmerican.com. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
- ^ http://evolution.anthro.univie.ac.at/institutes/urbanethology/resources/articles/articles/publications/226-2005-humanPheromones-sexAttraction.pdf
- ^ Dutton, Donald G (1974). "Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 30 (4): 510–7. doi:10.1037/h0037031. PMID 4455773.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ SIRC Guide to Flirting. What Social Science can tell you about flirting and how to do it. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
- ^ Buss, D. M., & Shmitt, D. P. (1993). Sexual strategies theory: A contextual evolutionary analysis of human mating. ‘’Psychological Review’’: 100, 204-232.
- ^ Ellis, B.J., & Symons, D. (1990). Sex differences in sexual fantasy: An evolutionary psychological approach. ‘’Journal of Sex Research’’, 27, 527-555.
- ^ Wiederman, M. W., & Allgeier, E. R. (1992). Gender differences in mate selection criteria: Sociobiological or socioeconomic explanations? ‘’Ethology and Sociobiology’’, 13, 115-124.
- ^ J.M. Bailey, S. Gaulin, Y. Agyei, B. Gladue. (1994). Effects of gender and sexual orientation on evolutionarily relevant aspects of human mating psychology. ‘’Journal of Personality and Social Psychology’’, 66(6), 1081-1093
Notes
- Feinberg DR, Jones BC, Law Smith MJ; et al. (2006). "Menstrual cycle, trait estrogen level, and masculinity preferences in the human voice". Horm Behav. 49 (2): 215–22. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.07.004. PMID 16055126.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - On peculiarities of Russian sex appeal, see Draitser, Emil (1999). Making war, not love: Gender and sexuality in Russian humor. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 13–32. ISBN 0-312-22129-0.
External links
- Sexual Attraction Among Humans
- FaceResearch – Scientific research and online studies on the role of faces in sexual attraction
- Reunions Set Off Sex Urges, Article on sexual attraction among birth relatives sparked by reunion.
- www.lookism.info deconstruction of attraction and beauty standards