Lecture 19: Beauty , Jealousy, Love Flashcards
(23 cards)
Paradox of Beauty
- Mate and partner with someone based on the arrangement of their face
-Like your best friend much more than you like your partner
OK Cupid turned off their pictures for one day- more messages, more replies, happiness unaffected by attractiveness
Beauty
Important for other interpersonal relationships Attractive people perceived to be - smarter -kinder -stronger - more nurturing and sensitive - sociable Better Life outcomes -Parents more affectionate with more attractive child- less likely for abuse
Beauty= Myth
Agreement of individuals
Agreement of children
Infant preferences
Cross cultural universals
Beauty Hypothesis
Beauty is an external cue of biological fitness of other people
- symmetry
- absence of abnormalities
- Teeth- Straight teeth= less tooth decay
- hair
Symmetry
Shows successful development
Some evidence- symmetry is greater intellect and health
Could predict income and sexual activity in men
Average Galton
Shows that the average phenotype of a population is attractive
What natural selection is trying to achieve
Face
- Cues of fertility, normal hormones, right sex
- Effects of testosterone on brow ridge, jaw line
- Youth and nulliparity- eye, skin, lips
- Supernormal Stimulus-Exaggerated magnitude of psychologically effective physical cues
Puzzle of Male Beauty
Female attraction is so varied= no consensus on male attractiveness
-more masculine= more testosterone
-Some feminine features make males attractive
Hypothesis: women find masculine men more attractive when ovulating
Beauty Technology
Attracted to exaggerated attractive features(beak)
Modern beauty has makeup for eyes, cheeks,
Clothing enhances larger shoulders, wider hips smaller waist
-Technology able to dramatically alter bodies and faces
Puzzle of Jealousy
How is jealousy evolutionary advantageous?
Hypothesis: To prevent against cuckoldry
Risk of rivals for male paternal investment
Sexual Dimorphisms in Jealousy
Sexual Jealousy: M=F
Triggers for Jealousy
Sexual Cheating- Males
Emotional Investment- Females
Patriarchy
Marriage= Transfer of woman from father to husband -Brideprice -Ownership badges- Rings -Burkas, genital mutilation Sexual Infidelity of Female- Violation of property Double Standard of Adultery Rape- Insult to father Elopement- Theft from Father Legality of Marital Rape very recent
3 Feelings of Love
- Lust
- Romantic passion( infatuation)
- Companionate Love (long term)
Fisher- Each relies on different structures in the brain
Lust (General)
Testosterone sensitive circuits- midbrain-amygdala-hippocampus
- Also involved in challenges in dominance
- Males have more, but testosterone levels increase in lust
Romantic Desire (General)
-Dopamine sensitive mesolimbic circuits (Midbrain- hypothalamus- ventral striatum)
Involved in desire
Companionate Love
Vasopressin and Oxytocin
(Secreted by hypothalamus, and pituitary gland)
Involved in maternal bonding, love
Romantic Love (Specific)
- Recent idea, social constructionism
- Medieval love, Hollywood movies
- Cross Cultural universality of romantic love
- Cultural Differences on when lovers can act on feelings
- Romeo and juliet conflict -lovers vs parents
Smart Shopper
Look through the mating market
-Balance time with mate value
-Positively assort for mate value
CRITIQUE- Violates idea of romantic love- capriciousness, involuntary
Universal Symptoms of Being in Love
- intense energy
- focused attention
- insomnia, nervousness, anorexia
- changed priorities
- emotional dependence
- empathy
- sexual desire
- sexual exclusivity
- sexual jealousy
Romance Love As Paradoxical Tactic
- Easy to commit to someone with no one else there
- Romantic Love prevents us from leaving mate if better one comes along
- Did not choose to fall in love with person for their value, less likely to leave for person with greater value
Companionate love
-Psychologically and neurologically different from lust and passion
Oxytocin-cuddle neurotransmitter
-Released during orgasm
Animals- if Oxytocin and Vasopressin released, they pair
Voles
Promiscuity/ Monogamous- Dependent on vasopressin secretion
Vasopressin correlates with monogamy
Evolutionary Basis of Companionate Love
Basis for Reciprocal Altruism
-In succesful marriages, both partners believe cost=benefit
-Marriage would be unhappy if turn taking reciprocation is only over short term
Mutualism- Benefitting both parties
Both partners have same offspring, same interests, friends, tastes, enemies
- Both have selfish stake in each others happiness
-Positive feedback loop of love and/or friendship
