Love, lust, passion, infatuation, chemistry, adoration, appreciation, cherish - there are endless words to describe the different feelings we have for the people we are attracted to. But when it comes to finding a mate, attraction is more complicated than that. Attraction can combine physical attraction, emotional attraction, intellectual attraction, status attraction, practical attraction, and perhaps even spiritual attraction. There may be many different types of attraction that are unique to certain individuals, including types of attraction deemed unacceptable in society.
While I understand that the types of attraction that exist may be as many as the varieties of humans in existence, I want to look at trends in attraction. I want to examine why a large group of people might be attracted to the same kinds of things. I want to understand why certain kinds of attraction are winning in the game of evolution.
According to evolution, whatever genes are most successful at replicating themselves without dying will be positively selected for. Whichever genes are less successful will slowly lose the race and become less pervasive in the gene pool of future generations.
There are some types of attraction that seem beneficial under an evolutionary perspective.
Male attraction to certain body types of women would be positively selected for if those body types were more likely to produce healthy children because 1) your children will be less likely to die before replicating your genes, 2) your children will also have the genes to grow more healthy children.
Female attraction to certain male body types could also be positively selected for if those body types were more successful in providing for and protecting a family.
Female attraction to financially successful men would be positively selected for because 1) the man has the resources to preserve your life and the lives of your children, 2) whatever genes made him successful will also make your children successful.
Male attraction to a woman with good grooming skills could make sense if the grooming skills signify an underlying beneficial trait like organizational skills or nurturing skills that could benefit the survival of offspring.
Female attraction to a man with a good personality can be positively selected for if that personality signifies beneficial traits like stability or leadership that can benefit the survival of offspring.
But what about harder to explain types of attraction?
Why would evolution program us to be attracted to a sense of humor?
Does humor really have an evolutionary value?
Or does humor signify an underlying level of social intelligence that can benefit their offspring?
Why would women be attracted to romantic scenarios?
Does romance really have an evolutionary value?
Or do things like "candle-light dinners" and "picnics" show a level of creativity or ingenuity that can benefit their offspring?
Why would men be attracted to a certain color of hair on women?
Does hair color really have an evolutionary value?
Or does it symbolize someone who is a potential carrier of beneficial unique genes?
Are all types of attraction explainable by evolution or none at all?
What about the more deviant forms of attraction?
Are those just some of the new varieties of attraction that are being randomly created in the gene pool every day? Or is there another source of attraction outside our DNA?
In our modern age of technology and medicine, will deviant attraction types have less selection against them and become part of the norm?
What do you think about spiritual attraction or soul mates? Do you think there are some types of attraction that are transcendent of this mortal body of genes? Is there such thing as a spiritual attraction that is unexplainable by science?
Technology presents the ability for men and women to fake certain traits to achieve greater success in attracting a mate. Is there ever a point where this becomes unethical? Make up and plastic surgery have become common among women. Perfumes and colognes are common among both sexes. For males, steroid usage has not been as well accepted. In the future, who knows what things we will be able to do? Will we be able to chemically seduce through pheromones? Take energy drinks that stimulate a boost in intelligence, personality, and sense of humor? At what point to we take a step back and focus on our true selves? Or will continue down this path of artificial self-improvment until we learn to just alter our own DNA and are always recreating ourselves? Will we ever truly be satisfied?
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