Jennifer Chapman
Soc 2600
The Natural Attraction
Human interaction occurs daily for most people. Whether it’s in the home, at school, work, church, or simply walking down the street, it happens. Although our demeanor and emotions may change due to the setting, we can say that our body is fairly consistent in its functions. Now, because of the common interaction of life, some day, somewhere, attraction is bound to happen. People may say something to the effect, “I get butterflies when I see them” or, on the contrary, “I just wasn’t feeling it.” But why do we actually get these feelings? Is it a possible sixth sense or special perception? Studies have discovered that it has much to do with biological functions that we do not notice. This paper will discuss the natural reasons of why heterosexual attractions occur. It will focus on physical attraction, chemicals and/or hormones, and self-esteem. If there is one thing that can be concluded it’s that our body controls much more than we think it does, especially when choosing a potential mate.
Physical Attraction
Physical attraction is what most people are aware of. Many believe that beauty varies generationally, culturally, and personally. Although this may have truth, new research is establishing that people regardless of race, class, or age share a sense of what is attractive. [1]
Men tend to look for a woman with a .6 to .8 waist to hip ratio. (The waist is 60 percent to 80 percent the size of the hips) The brain tells the male that a woman with such a ratio has a good probability of baring healthy children. What is interesting is that a slight increase in this ratio can indicate reproductive problems.[2] Women look for hip to shoulder ratio in their counterpart[3] which indicates the distribution of body fat and risks of disease. Health is included in physical attraction for better chances of reproduction.
“In 2007 researchers from University of Stirling, Harvard University, and Florida State University published a study that examined standards of beauty on two continents… there is in fact one universal quality that people find attractive… symmetry.”[4] Symmetry indicates genetic health as well as fertility. A recent Thornhill and Gangestead study supported this theory showing that women were more sexually responsive to symmetrical men and found that women were more than twice as likely to climax during intercourse when with highly symmetrical partners. [5]
For many relationships the first kiss make or break the pursuit. Kissing exchanges information and taps into primary, unconscious physical mechanisms that help determine amount of compatibility. A study published in 2007 concluded “59% of the men and 66% of the women reported having been initially attracted to someone, but lost interest when the first kiss just didn’t feel right. [We] believe the reason for this is because you are still playing the mating game; gathering information, making judgments, accessing this person’s suitability as a potential mate and possible partner.”[6]
Chemical/Hormonal
Sight and touch are important to attraction but are not the soul sense relied on. The T-shirt test, originally conducted by Claus Wedeking, proved this. “Pheromones are chemicals that trigger specific behaviors… He gave 44 men new T-shirts and asked them to sleep in them for two nights in a row, ensuring their shirts were steeped in their sweat and accompanying scent. He also gave them odorless soap and aftershave to ensure that nothing masked the odor of each man’s natural “perfume.” (For men, these are called Androstenol and Androstenone, found in three to ten times higher concentrations than females[7]) He then asked 49 women to smell each shirt and rate attractiveness… Volunteers were more attracted to the smell of shirts worn by men who had immune systems that were somewhat different from their own.”[8]
A similar study was done with woman. Professor Devendra Singh of the University of Texas gave two new T-shirts to about two dozen women. They slept in one shirt during the fertile part of their menstrual cycle and the second shirt on days when they were no longer activity fertile. When the men were asked to pick their preference due to smell, they picked the T-shirt worn during the fertile phase.[9]
Since reproduction is so biologically significant to a female, the body seems to naturally “sniff out” men who will provide the right traits to produce genetically healthy offspring. The men could recognize the women who were ready to reproduce. The body is proving to naturally depict who would make a suitable mate to produce healthy children.[10]
The euphoric feeling of being on “cloud nine” is nothing new. Love is not simply an emotion; it is also a complicated biological chemical feature. Researches are beginning to discover chemicals in the brain that can add or take away from the state of bliss that is felt when attraction occurs. When the chemicals dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and phenylethylamine (also known as the “falling in love” drug) are excessively produced, feelings of exhilaration, energy, arousal, and motivation take place. [11] These chemicals are felt when attraction occurs. They send a whirlwind of new excitement through the body.
These chemicals and hormones give insight to the “Well, I love him, but I’m not in love with him” statement. They also can explain reasons of why a drawn out courtship can be more livening that a simple one-night stand. Endorphins are commonly known as the chemical that causes excitement. Biopsychology hypothesizes that the brain’s endorphins may be involved in maintaining attachment,[12] helping counteract both physical pain, emotional pain, and stress.
There are, however, chemicals that can hinder or inhibit these exciting biochemicals, causing anxiety, depression, obsession and despair; for example cortisol. It helps us deal with stressful situations but can suppress sexual desires. Another, monoamine oxidase, (MAO) counteracts the excitement chemicals.[13] Antidepressant and anxiety medications have chemicals, which can alleviate withdrawal symptoms and help obsessive chemicals calm down. If wrongly diagnosed or prescribed, these can also send some people into mania or excessive anxiety. [14]
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem tends to be thought of as a situation-by-situation basis but it can affect on attraction. For men dominance or status along with attracting and holding the attention of others are sources of self-esteem.[15] When men are younger, a pubescent chemical named monomine oxidase (MAO) has been linked to males’ greater susceptibility to boredom and tendency to seek high sensation levels, such as risk taking. They become more insistent on making something happen. Thrill seeking and sexual discomfort may also be linked to teasing girls during the younger years.[16]
While for women, the attraction game corresponding with self-esteem can be a bit more complex. Competition can be an ongoing battle for women, even if not intentional. Advertising a woman’s attractiveness through flirtatious behavior would require high self-esteem. They can also gain attention from others by giving it.[17] If this does occur, males may not be attracted to the female simply because they are harder to approach and have the more masculine tendency of seeking attention. Women’s self esteem is often correlated to their ability to attract and maintain the attention of significant people in their group, regardless of sex. Research regarding women’s supposed “fear of success” discovered that they were actually not afraid of success, but rather of disapproval and exclusion by their significant groups if they achieved beyond expectation.[18]
A big influence on self-esteem greatly occurs in both males and females during the time of puberty. There is evidence that serotonin levels drop with puberty. This may correspond to body image distortion, rejection sensitivity, and applause hunger. Girl’s self-esteem typically drops around the beginnings of puberty, while it happens approximately 2 years later for boys. [19]
The possibility of girls becoming reproductive adults sooner than boys is greatly influenced by evolution. History shows that people have a great possibility of dying young. So teenage motherhood could become a necessity. Perhaps the body has adjusted to particularly attune to societal cues so they can absorb their society’s model of a good mother.[20] One study proved self-esteem to be positively related to mate value. It also found that women experienced a self-esteem decrease nearest to ovulation, when women tend to be more attractive to men.[21]
Because much of American society does not regulate women’s mate choice, they need to choose carefully for themselves. They must get men to show off their resources and qualities. The woman must decide quickly which of the potentially interested men to encourage. She must find a mate with someone who will stick around. Men struggle with this process because they are more comfortable with getting casually involved and then “seeing what happens.” Some male students voiced anger that women said they judged them as good or bad prospects for a serious involvement in the very first meeting. [22]
Many feel as if a woman should also appear interested in only one potential man from a very early stage in their contact. This can greatly affect the self-esteem of a woman because judgment and expectations of society may not agree with these ways of choosing a mate and can send doubts of her “virtue”. “If a woman seems to be just as interested in other men as she is in him, a monogamously inclined man may automatically “lose faith” in her as a potential mate. Then he may shift into a promiscuous mating strategy- trying to copulate with her quickly, and investing as little emotion and resources as he can.”[23]
Conclusion
It is proven, through many years of research, that attraction and the stages thereafter are not simply fluffy feelings. It all results back to the body searching for a companion with the best chances of fertility and reproduction. The body seems to know nature’s expectations of the reproductive process. This being said, does changing one’s body such as the new skyrocketing fad of plastic surgery or something as simple as cologne hinder our natural ability to choose a mate? The natural attraction can be so affected and hidden that compatibility cannot make its natural course. With this being the case, it makes it much harder to find an acceptable partner. This paper confirms the fact that attraction is influenced greatly by the natural body. The more we understand, the deeper inner personal connection is made. This allows society to find new methods of interacting while science continues to grasp the body’s mechanics of attraction.
[1] Geoffrey Cowley, “The Biology of Beauty,” Newsweek, June 3,1996. Pp. 61-66.
[2] Geoffrey Cowley, “The Biology of Beauty,” Newsweek, June 3,1996. Pp. 61-66.
[3] Margaret F. Braun; Angela Bryan “Female waist-to-hip and male waist-to-shoulder ratios as determinants of romantic partner desirability” 2011. http://spr.sagepub.com/content/23/5/805.abstract.
[4] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 90
[5] Geoffrey Cowley, “The Biology of Beauty,” Newsweek, June 3,1996. Pp. 61-66.
[6] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 103
[7] Brooksbank et al, 1974. Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 305
[8] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 79
[9] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 83
[10] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 83
[11] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 313
[12] Panksepp et al., 1997. Love and Intimate Relationships.2000. Pp. 318
[13] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 315-316
[14] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 316-317
[15] Schwalbe & Staples, 1991, Gilbert, 1995. Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 308
[16] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 308
[17] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 308
[18] Wade & Tavris; 1990; American Association of University Women. Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 308
[19] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 311
[20] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 311
[21] Sarah Hill; Kristina Durante; 2009 “Do Women Feel Worse to Look Their Best? Testing the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Fertility Status Across the Menstrual Cycle”
[22] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 311
[23] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 312-313
Soc 2600
The Natural Attraction
Human interaction occurs daily for most people. Whether it’s in the home, at school, work, church, or simply walking down the street, it happens. Although our demeanor and emotions may change due to the setting, we can say that our body is fairly consistent in its functions. Now, because of the common interaction of life, some day, somewhere, attraction is bound to happen. People may say something to the effect, “I get butterflies when I see them” or, on the contrary, “I just wasn’t feeling it.” But why do we actually get these feelings? Is it a possible sixth sense or special perception? Studies have discovered that it has much to do with biological functions that we do not notice. This paper will discuss the natural reasons of why heterosexual attractions occur. It will focus on physical attraction, chemicals and/or hormones, and self-esteem. If there is one thing that can be concluded it’s that our body controls much more than we think it does, especially when choosing a potential mate.
Physical Attraction
Physical attraction is what most people are aware of. Many believe that beauty varies generationally, culturally, and personally. Although this may have truth, new research is establishing that people regardless of race, class, or age share a sense of what is attractive. [1]
Men tend to look for a woman with a .6 to .8 waist to hip ratio. (The waist is 60 percent to 80 percent the size of the hips) The brain tells the male that a woman with such a ratio has a good probability of baring healthy children. What is interesting is that a slight increase in this ratio can indicate reproductive problems.[2] Women look for hip to shoulder ratio in their counterpart[3] which indicates the distribution of body fat and risks of disease. Health is included in physical attraction for better chances of reproduction.
“In 2007 researchers from University of Stirling, Harvard University, and Florida State University published a study that examined standards of beauty on two continents… there is in fact one universal quality that people find attractive… symmetry.”[4] Symmetry indicates genetic health as well as fertility. A recent Thornhill and Gangestead study supported this theory showing that women were more sexually responsive to symmetrical men and found that women were more than twice as likely to climax during intercourse when with highly symmetrical partners. [5]
For many relationships the first kiss make or break the pursuit. Kissing exchanges information and taps into primary, unconscious physical mechanisms that help determine amount of compatibility. A study published in 2007 concluded “59% of the men and 66% of the women reported having been initially attracted to someone, but lost interest when the first kiss just didn’t feel right. [We] believe the reason for this is because you are still playing the mating game; gathering information, making judgments, accessing this person’s suitability as a potential mate and possible partner.”[6]
Chemical/Hormonal
Sight and touch are important to attraction but are not the soul sense relied on. The T-shirt test, originally conducted by Claus Wedeking, proved this. “Pheromones are chemicals that trigger specific behaviors… He gave 44 men new T-shirts and asked them to sleep in them for two nights in a row, ensuring their shirts were steeped in their sweat and accompanying scent. He also gave them odorless soap and aftershave to ensure that nothing masked the odor of each man’s natural “perfume.” (For men, these are called Androstenol and Androstenone, found in three to ten times higher concentrations than females[7]) He then asked 49 women to smell each shirt and rate attractiveness… Volunteers were more attracted to the smell of shirts worn by men who had immune systems that were somewhat different from their own.”[8]
A similar study was done with woman. Professor Devendra Singh of the University of Texas gave two new T-shirts to about two dozen women. They slept in one shirt during the fertile part of their menstrual cycle and the second shirt on days when they were no longer activity fertile. When the men were asked to pick their preference due to smell, they picked the T-shirt worn during the fertile phase.[9]
Since reproduction is so biologically significant to a female, the body seems to naturally “sniff out” men who will provide the right traits to produce genetically healthy offspring. The men could recognize the women who were ready to reproduce. The body is proving to naturally depict who would make a suitable mate to produce healthy children.[10]
The euphoric feeling of being on “cloud nine” is nothing new. Love is not simply an emotion; it is also a complicated biological chemical feature. Researches are beginning to discover chemicals in the brain that can add or take away from the state of bliss that is felt when attraction occurs. When the chemicals dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and phenylethylamine (also known as the “falling in love” drug) are excessively produced, feelings of exhilaration, energy, arousal, and motivation take place. [11] These chemicals are felt when attraction occurs. They send a whirlwind of new excitement through the body.
These chemicals and hormones give insight to the “Well, I love him, but I’m not in love with him” statement. They also can explain reasons of why a drawn out courtship can be more livening that a simple one-night stand. Endorphins are commonly known as the chemical that causes excitement. Biopsychology hypothesizes that the brain’s endorphins may be involved in maintaining attachment,[12] helping counteract both physical pain, emotional pain, and stress.
There are, however, chemicals that can hinder or inhibit these exciting biochemicals, causing anxiety, depression, obsession and despair; for example cortisol. It helps us deal with stressful situations but can suppress sexual desires. Another, monoamine oxidase, (MAO) counteracts the excitement chemicals.[13] Antidepressant and anxiety medications have chemicals, which can alleviate withdrawal symptoms and help obsessive chemicals calm down. If wrongly diagnosed or prescribed, these can also send some people into mania or excessive anxiety. [14]
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem tends to be thought of as a situation-by-situation basis but it can affect on attraction. For men dominance or status along with attracting and holding the attention of others are sources of self-esteem.[15] When men are younger, a pubescent chemical named monomine oxidase (MAO) has been linked to males’ greater susceptibility to boredom and tendency to seek high sensation levels, such as risk taking. They become more insistent on making something happen. Thrill seeking and sexual discomfort may also be linked to teasing girls during the younger years.[16]
While for women, the attraction game corresponding with self-esteem can be a bit more complex. Competition can be an ongoing battle for women, even if not intentional. Advertising a woman’s attractiveness through flirtatious behavior would require high self-esteem. They can also gain attention from others by giving it.[17] If this does occur, males may not be attracted to the female simply because they are harder to approach and have the more masculine tendency of seeking attention. Women’s self esteem is often correlated to their ability to attract and maintain the attention of significant people in their group, regardless of sex. Research regarding women’s supposed “fear of success” discovered that they were actually not afraid of success, but rather of disapproval and exclusion by their significant groups if they achieved beyond expectation.[18]
A big influence on self-esteem greatly occurs in both males and females during the time of puberty. There is evidence that serotonin levels drop with puberty. This may correspond to body image distortion, rejection sensitivity, and applause hunger. Girl’s self-esteem typically drops around the beginnings of puberty, while it happens approximately 2 years later for boys. [19]
The possibility of girls becoming reproductive adults sooner than boys is greatly influenced by evolution. History shows that people have a great possibility of dying young. So teenage motherhood could become a necessity. Perhaps the body has adjusted to particularly attune to societal cues so they can absorb their society’s model of a good mother.[20] One study proved self-esteem to be positively related to mate value. It also found that women experienced a self-esteem decrease nearest to ovulation, when women tend to be more attractive to men.[21]
Because much of American society does not regulate women’s mate choice, they need to choose carefully for themselves. They must get men to show off their resources and qualities. The woman must decide quickly which of the potentially interested men to encourage. She must find a mate with someone who will stick around. Men struggle with this process because they are more comfortable with getting casually involved and then “seeing what happens.” Some male students voiced anger that women said they judged them as good or bad prospects for a serious involvement in the very first meeting. [22]
Many feel as if a woman should also appear interested in only one potential man from a very early stage in their contact. This can greatly affect the self-esteem of a woman because judgment and expectations of society may not agree with these ways of choosing a mate and can send doubts of her “virtue”. “If a woman seems to be just as interested in other men as she is in him, a monogamously inclined man may automatically “lose faith” in her as a potential mate. Then he may shift into a promiscuous mating strategy- trying to copulate with her quickly, and investing as little emotion and resources as he can.”[23]
Conclusion
It is proven, through many years of research, that attraction and the stages thereafter are not simply fluffy feelings. It all results back to the body searching for a companion with the best chances of fertility and reproduction. The body seems to know nature’s expectations of the reproductive process. This being said, does changing one’s body such as the new skyrocketing fad of plastic surgery or something as simple as cologne hinder our natural ability to choose a mate? The natural attraction can be so affected and hidden that compatibility cannot make its natural course. With this being the case, it makes it much harder to find an acceptable partner. This paper confirms the fact that attraction is influenced greatly by the natural body. The more we understand, the deeper inner personal connection is made. This allows society to find new methods of interacting while science continues to grasp the body’s mechanics of attraction.
[1] Geoffrey Cowley, “The Biology of Beauty,” Newsweek, June 3,1996. Pp. 61-66.
[2] Geoffrey Cowley, “The Biology of Beauty,” Newsweek, June 3,1996. Pp. 61-66.
[3] Margaret F. Braun; Angela Bryan “Female waist-to-hip and male waist-to-shoulder ratios as determinants of romantic partner desirability” 2011. http://spr.sagepub.com/content/23/5/805.abstract.
[4] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 90
[5] Geoffrey Cowley, “The Biology of Beauty,” Newsweek, June 3,1996. Pp. 61-66.
[6] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 103
[7] Brooksbank et al, 1974. Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 305
[8] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 79
[9] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 83
[10] Dr. Sharon Moalem, How Sex Works 2009. Pp. 83
[11] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 313
[12] Panksepp et al., 1997. Love and Intimate Relationships.2000. Pp. 318
[13] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 315-316
[14] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 316-317
[15] Schwalbe & Staples, 1991, Gilbert, 1995. Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 308
[16] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 308
[17] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 308
[18] Wade & Tavris; 1990; American Association of University Women. Love and Intimate Relationships. 2000. Pp. 308
[19] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 311
[20] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 311
[21] Sarah Hill; Kristina Durante; 2009 “Do Women Feel Worse to Look Their Best? Testing the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Fertility Status Across the Menstrual Cycle”
[22] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 311
[23] Norman Brown; Ellen Amatea; “Love and Intimate Relationships.” 2000. Pp. 312-313