ANT 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Parental Investment, Adaptationism, Herding
Document Summary
Lecture 23: attractiveness and marriage: what is attractive, attractiveness is shown by cues" that may indicate mate value; subjective to each individual, mate value = fertility, reproductive potential, willingness to invest in offspring, good genes", etc . The specific cues will vary across cultures and environmental contexts: possible cues: Pheromones chemicals emitted that other individuals pick up, giving signals of health and/or emotional status. Men preferred the scent of a women in ovulation. Facial symmetry people with more symmetrical faces were seen as more attractive. Taking the picture to the right as another example, people were asked: which row is more attractive: the bottom photos are the same picture but one half of the people"s faces. The top photos are originals: cross-cultural variation: people place a higher value on physical attractiveness" were mirrored to be made symmetrical in environments with a high prevalence of parasites and other pathogens.
