The psychology of attraction and mating (2-min read)

Evolutionary psychologists are particularly interested in the challenges faced by men and women when adapting to a changing environment, particularly the extent to which behaviour and cognition are shaped over time. Recent developments in evolution theory have been applied to relationships between men and women to better understand the laws of attraction.

So, who are we attracted to?  Psychologists claim that our partner preferences are defined by what will benefit successful reproduction, and therefore our survival as a species.  Studies have shown that women are generally attracted to a man who is able to invest in her protection, such as being physically fit, enjoying a high social status and a surplus of financial resources. Physical features that indicate dominance such as height, and masculine facial features are also considered attractive, and women are even attracted to men in ways they’re not aware of, for example to good genes. The results of a famous ‘sweat study’ in 2010 indicated that women find the smell of a man’s sweat attractive, particularly when his immune system differs to her own. Researchers have explained this in terms of genetic immunity – in other words, when a man and woman with different immune systems reproduce, their child has a much better chance of having strong immunity and be more likely to survive.  

Men, on the other hand, appear to be attracted to younger and more fertile women who are therefore more likely to conceive a child.  From an evolutionary perspective, males achieve reproductive fitness from fathering many offspring and therefore require a mate who is healthy and fertile. These qualities tend to be expressed in terms of physical health and attractiveness, such as healthy hair and skin, and facial features that are indicative of high estrogen levels.  A waist to hip ratio of 0.7 is ideal, according to replicated studies concerning what men find attractive, and there appears to be an ‘ideal’ curvature of a woman’s spine appealing to men which suggests that a particular spinal curve has reproductive benefits, particularly if it supports a shift forward in mass created by a foetus.