Altruism enhances men and womens sex appeal
October 15th, 2008 - 12:34 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Oct 15 (ANI): Displays of altruism or selflessness towards others are seen by females as the most attractive trait in a partner, according to a new research carried out by biologists and a psychologist at The University of Nottingham.
In three studies of more than 1,000 people Dr Tim Phillips and his fellow researchers discovered that women place significantly greater importance on altruistic traits that anything else.
The study has been published in the British Journal of Psychology.
Dr Phillips said: Evolutionary theory predicts competition between individuals and yet we see many examples in nature of individuals disadvantaging themselves to help others.
In humans, particularly, we see individuals prepared to put themselves at considerable risk to help individuals they do not know for no obvious reward.
Participants in the studies were questioned about a range of qualities they look for in a mate, including examples of altruistic behaviour such as donates blood regularly and volunteered to help out in a local hospital. Women placed significantly greater importance on altruistic traits in all three studies.
Yet both sexes may consider altruistic traits when choosing a partner. One hundred and seventy couples were asked to rate how much they preferred altruistic traits in a mate and report their own level of altruistic behaviour.
The strength of preference in one partner was found to correlate with the extent of altruistic behaviour typically displayed in the other, suggesting that altruistic traits may well be a factor both men and women take into account when choosing a partner.
Dr Phillips said: For many years the standard explanation for altruistic behaviour towards non-relatives has been based on reciprocity and reputation a version of you scratch my back and Ill scratch yours. I believe we need to look elsewhere to understand the roots of human altruism.
The expansion of the human brain would have greatly increased the cost of raising children so it would have been important for our ancestors to choose mates both willing and able to be good, long-term parents. Displays of altruism could well have provided accurate clues to this and genes linked to altruism would have been favoured as a result.
Dr Phillips concluded: Sexual selection could well come to be seen as exerting a major influence on what made humans human. (ANI)
- Nice guys actually get the girl in the end - Oct 14, 2010
- People find altruism in partners sexy - Oct 15, 2008
- Altruism varies under different conditions - May 01, 2012
- Our real-partners are poles apart from our ideal mates - Oct 02, 2010
- Why humans actively help each other - May 04, 2011
- 'Financially independent women more likely to make cougars' - Jul 04, 2010
- 'Selfless' fairy wrens are in fact carefully calculating accountants - Mar 19, 2011
- How we become altruistic - Sep 22, 2010
- Women go for nice guys - in the end - Feb 11, 2010
- Our choices as consumers are governed by genes - Sep 21, 2010
- Women find deep, low male voice appealing - Sep 13, 2011
- Chimps can match humans in kindness - Aug 10, 2011
- Male mice drive females wild with ultrasonic love ballads - Mar 06, 2010
- Babies can sense your unfair play with them - Oct 08, 2011
- Genes affect our liking towards chocolate and hybrid cars - Sep 21, 2010
Tags: altruism, biologists, both sexes, british journal of psychology, dr phillips, dr tim, fellow researchers, females, human brain, journal of psychology, local hospital, men and women, preference, psychologist, reciprocity, relatives, selflessness, sex appeal, tim phillips, university of nottingham