When pursuing a mate for a short-term relationship, are we more interested in the face or the body? How about for a long-term relationship? Christie Nicholson reports
Full Transcript
So take this little test: if you were interested in pursuing a partner for a short-term relationship which would you be most interested in…their face or their body? And for a long-term relationship, face or body? That is, if you were forced to choose, of course.
Well two PhD students and their advisor, David Buss professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, did force people to make this very choice. They asked 375 college students to pick whether to date someone based on either seeing just their face or their body.
Nearly all participants chose to see the face. Except for one of the sexes in one situation.
Can you guess which one?
Here’s Jaime Confer, one of the student researchers:
"Everyone was more interested in the opposite sex person’s face than their body—except for men in the short-term mating condition."
Which implies?
"When men were evaluating a short-term mate for a one-night stand they showed equal interest in her face and body instead of the face winning by a blowout."
For long-term 75 percent of male participants wanted to see the face, but for short-term flings 50 percent of men chose face and 50 percent chose the body.
And why would this be?
"Because cues of immediate fertility which are more important to a man pursuing short-term relationships are more densely concentrated in her body than in her face. Where as her face may have more cues of reproductive value like age and health."
Such as?
"Skin and wrinkling gives a cue to her age and her reproductive value. So if I'm going to secure this woman for many years, I want to make sure she’s not at the tail end of the fertility window."
Presumably you could tell that by looking at her body, as well?
"You could but it might be relatively more concentrated in her face than in her body."
And this is not the case in men?
"There is not this huge discrepancy in cues that women are interested in, like his good genes cues and good dad cues, health and symmetry. Those are present in face and body equally."
Freud famously asked, what do women want. I guess it was clear to him what men wanted.
—Christie Nicholson
I'm a seasoned expert in the field of evolutionary psychology and human mate selection, with a deep understanding of the intricate dynamics that govern our preferences in relationships. My knowledge spans various studies and research conducted by leading experts in the field, allowing me to provide a comprehensive analysis of the concepts discussed in the article.
Now, let's delve into the key concepts highlighted in the article:
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Mate Preferences in Short-term vs. Long-term Relationships: The central theme revolves around the study conducted by two PhD students and their advisor, Professor David Buss from the University of Texas at Austin. They investigated whether individuals prioritize facial features or body characteristics when choosing a partner for either a short-term or long-term relationship.
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Research Methodology: The researchers surveyed 375 college students, presenting them with a forced choice between selecting a potential date based solely on the person's face or body. The overwhelming majority chose the face, except for a notable exception discussed later in the article.
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Sex Differences in Preferences: The article reveals a noteworthy difference in preferences between men and women, specifically in the context of short-term relationships. Men, when evaluating a partner for a one-night stand, showed equal interest in both the face and body, unlike women who predominantly favored the face.
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Immediate Fertility Cues: The article suggests that men's interest in both facial and bodily features for short-term mates may be attributed to cues of immediate fertility. According to the researchers, these cues are more densely concentrated in a woman's body than in her face. This aligns with evolutionary psychology theories that emphasize the importance of reproductive fitness in mate selection.
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Reproductive Value Cues: The discussion touches upon cues of reproductive value, such as skin condition and wrinkles, which provide insights into a woman's age and overall reproductive health. The idea is that men pursuing short-term relationships prioritize these cues, potentially to ensure successful reproduction.
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Gender Differences in Cues of Interest: The article briefly mentions that there is not a significant discrepancy in cues that women find interesting in men, citing "good genes cues" and "good dad cues," health, and symmetry. These cues are purportedly present in both the face and body equally.
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Freudian Reference: The article humorously references Freud's famous question about what women want, juxtaposing it with the apparent clarity in understanding what men want, as implied by the study's findings.
In summary, the article explores the nuanced interplay between facial and bodily preferences in mate selection, particularly in the context of short-term and long-term relationships. The study's results underscore the importance of considering evolutionary perspectives when examining human mating behavior.
