Sexual selection in Humans

[Dan558]

This thread asks you if you think sexual selection is present in humans, and if so to what degree? Do you think its good? bad? If you don`t know what it is heres my jist of it:

Mate selection or intraspecific competition using characteristics purely for the purpose of mating or exaggerated traits simply to state a related beneficial trait.

For a more correct and in-depth explanation look it up on wikipedia or something (thats not where I got it but its easy to find there)


To start, I think it is heavily present in humans and is completely unnecessary at our evolutionary level. I`ll elaborate in a later post...

[Sinister]

Many choices, believe it or not, are based on positive or negative assortative mating. I'm not sure that applies to me...probably not the best one to make that judgment. I've only fallen in love* with two people and only had sexual relationships with one of those aforementioned two. Of those two...neither seemed predominantly...significant?

I find often attractive any physical resemblances that contradict those of popular society and meet my own personal standards. I dislike anyone too obese or disfigured. But I'm willing to make great exceptions based upon appropriate disposition and personality. Personality is probably most important. It's so hard to find people who have identical or even somewhat similar patterns of personality to mine. Which I'm sure is a good thing...


*A deep seated feeling of the strongest possible attractions between two people.



But then again, I can only speak to my own personal preferences, far be it from me to condemn or condone others opinions...

-Sin

[Govinda]

Of course it is. The attractiveness stereotype, a baby of the psychology of sex, does exist; there are certain attributes that make a person sexy in different societies. In Brazil, women with lovely big bums and hips are considered to be the most attractive and thus the best mates; in the UK, a lot of women spend time trying to reduce the sizes of their butts to make themselves seem more attractive. Basically, the more you adhere to the attractiveness stereotype in your society, the more likely you are to attract a mate and breed.

This doesn't account for all cases. I, like Sinister, have my own taste. My chosen partner doesn't conform to the attractiveness stereotype at all; he's got a pot belly, the remains of teenage acne, and he's really hairy. I don't necessarily adore all of those things, and neither does he, but because of them a lot of women I've met wouldn't touch him with a bargepole. I will though, because he's really cool and has nice shoulders.

My mother is convinced that the only reason she ever liked my father was because something between them said that the children they might make would be healthy and strong. Andrew and I, as they thought, are both tall, very healthy, and fairly intelligent. Or maybe that's just my mother's excuse for having married someone so fickle, who knows.

[dimmufan]

I think sexual selection is present in humans. However, moreso in females than in males. Most of the guys around here that I know would fornicate with any and every female they come across. Most of the females around here are very choosy about with whom they sleep. I, myself, am kinda choosy about my women. For instance, a new girl started working at the golf course on the maintenance staff with me. About a week ago we had to work together on the same project. She is a very beautiful woman and all the guys on the maintence crew want to f*** her brains out. I was on that boat as well. We spent 3 hours talking about love, life, interests, relationships, and various other topics. After talking with her I realized that she is just more than a piece of meat. I also realized that our personalities were almost a perfect match. Our only differences were that our interests were not the same. Now I have no interest in her and I no longer want to get in her pants.

But I'm not a total saint. There are some girls out there that are hot as hell and dress up in tiny clothes and just basically have no respect for their appearance. Those are the girls I could give 2 shits about and even if I did get to know them, I would still want to jump their bones.

So as you can see, sexual selection is prevalent with me.

[Sinister]

Also, in addendum to my previous post, I would like to note that relationships and mating choices also are influenced by prime archetypes; usually one's parents, sister/brother, or other family members. The first person of the opposite sex(or whichever you end up preferring) which is presented to you is held as something of a prototypical idea of a mate. After that, how your mind develops it's opinion of the "gender of preference" depends on environmental influences. (Suppose you watched a lot of TV that objectifies women while you're trying to develop your opinion of them. The result is unfortunate.)

Thus; we get in males, something called the Anima(self concept of the female gender and their qualities) and in females, the Animus(self concept of the male gender and their qualities). Each is set in stone by the actions of the first people you grow to know at a young age. Whether or not they influence you positively or negatively is all depending on totally different figures(In essence, whether they were positive or negative influences with their chief reigning qualities. Which can lead from abuse to a desire to abuse, or to a distaste of a specific trait or other correlations)

However, any stunting of this growth process leaves us with only partially developed Animus/Anima, causing us to hold the preferred genders in disdain or other disproportionate beliefs. (In example: "All men are hairy smelly violent ogres, that only want sex." Or "Women are whiny bitches that are only concerned with vanity and material goods.")

-Sin