Assignment 8
1.
The anthropologist Donald Symons famously wrote that “beauty is in the adaptations of the beholder.” What might he have meant? a.
1a. Donald Symons may have meant that with adaptations through evolution in the human body, we have adapted traits that can be more attractive to the opposite sex to raise our chances of reproduction. 2.
Why, from the perspective of ultimate causation, do men more than women attend to physical attractiveness in potential mates?
a.
2a. Men attend to physical attractiveness more than women because a lower HWR indicates better fertility, also women that are
with less attractive men can better guarantee no infidelity in a relationship and therefore can better secure resources. Along with this, women are more likely to find a less attractive man that is more dependable.
3.
How true is it to say that men prefer youth in female mates? To the extent that this statement is correct, why might such a preference have
been reproductively advantageous for ancestral males?
a.
3a. It is very true that men prefer younger females and this is so because males want to partner and reproduce with females that are
at their prime reproduction years. This may have been reproductively advantageous because then the males were attracted to highly fertile females. 4.
To what degree do men’s mate preferences accord with their mating behavior?
a.
4a. Men mate with attractive women that are in their most fertile years to ensure reproduction, on the other hand, males are seen wanting long term committed relationships with females of their age
that they can relate to and grow old with.
5.
Which variables influence the potential for and strength of sexual selection in men?
a.
5a. Sexual selection is strongest when variance in mates are high and reproductive differences depend mostly on mating success. 6.
How can we tell that a trait has likely been shaped by sexual selection?
a.
6a. Sexual selection leads to sexual dimorphism 7.
Evaluate the major lines of evidence suggesting that intrasexual selection via contest competition has shaped men’s traits. a.
7a. Intrasexual selection has influenced aggressive traits that protect the male and help to scare other males away, such as deep
voices. Contest competition shapes males traits in ways that are attractive to females, such as high masculinity, high dependability, and etc.
