7 / 16
Issue 5 | Teddies Talks Biology
7
The Biology Behind Attraction
Grace Flynn - 4th Form
Why are certain physical aƩributes appealing to us?
Why will men usually prefer women with longer,
thick hair to women with shorter, thinner hair?
Why do most women prefer men with beards or
stubble to men with clean-shaven faces?
The answer is in fact, much more primiƟve than it is
indoctrinated. We like to believe that physical ideal-
isms are being force-fed down our throats through
Hollywood and social media broadcasƟng certain
‘perfect’ body types, but actually, the root of our
physical idealisms comes from a far deeper place
embedded in the brain.
It is a psychological fact
of life, that when it
comes to finding a mate,
humans have primiƟve
insƟncts that will undeni-
ably emerge. For exam-
ple, women will want
their man to win a fight.
Even if the woman her-
self is against physical
violence, there will sƟll
be a part of her that want him to win. This is not
because she wants to show off that her man is
stronger, it is actually because by him winning, he is
showing her
that he is a suitable mate that will be
able to physically protect her in dangerous situa-
Ɵons. This notably is a primiƟve insƟnct, as in earli-
er ages, the man would have protected the family
from danger while the woman would raise the chil-
dren.
Why do we find symmetric faces more aƩracƟve
than asymmetric faces?
The main reason for this also dates back to prehis-
toric insƟncts in humans. When choosing a mate,
we will subconsciously look for signs of health in
their body frame and face. The reason for us doing
this is quite simple; our brains have evolved to cor-
relate healthy faces and frames with strong ge-
neƟcs. We want our offspring to survive, and so
even nowadays, men and women will pick out more
average, measured faces from the crowds. While it
is true that certain enhancement trends are also
aƩracƟve, we insƟncƟvely look for more median
signs of health in our partners. So, while having high
-set cheekbones and a slim figure is desirable, actu-
ally having an average weight and facial build
should be just as much so.