Oolon Colluphid

I guess there's a nailhead and hammer interface there Nialler. What counts as attractive in terms of status, signs of suitable breedability etc may vary from culture to culture, but we're stuck with a drive to want to mate with that which is considered attractive, whatever that may be. What counts as purely physically attractive, rather than the overall package, may be a little more fixed though, as I said above.

Doubtless Dr Rick will disagree though, cos I'm implying an underlying instinct!

Oolon

MOJO-JOJO

Cast your vote for the geographic region with the best gene pool for "prettiness"?

My vote ==> Southern California

[ April 03, 2002: Message edited by: MOJO-JOJO ]</p>

Skeptictank

Iceland.
During the Middle Ages Vikings would pillage the coasts of Europe and take only the best looking women. Combined with the isolation, Icelandic women are notorious for being great looking. But the rest of Scandanavia ain't bad either.

Writer@Large

Aw, c'mon, Southern Cal doesn't count. Most of their beauty isn't genetic; it's plastic. Boob jobs and tummy tucks do not get passed on genetically .

--W@L

BLoggins02

Dawkins has a similar exposition on this topic using the lengths of some birds' tail feathers as an example of an evolved sexually attractive characteristic.

It's in his book The Blind Watchmaker, might want to check it out.

Jesus Tap-Dancin' Christ

Minnesota. Or Italy. Im not sre which I prefer...

Of course being beautiful is a good way to pass on er genes. It make sup for thelack of other ways to attract mates (well, when it counts).

But I suppose you're talking about why we percieve them as pretty. I don't know, but breasts sure seem to be the way to go with me. Not too big, not too small--there is a "perfect" size. And most playboy models are close to exceeding it. Not that I wouldn't mind a night with them, but their breasts aren't optimum.

DRFseven

Many aspects of beauty are passed along culturally, but vary from one culture to another. One item, however, that seems to be universal is the appreciation of regularity of features. That is, over all cultures, when studies are conducted that establish criteria for beauty and ugliness by selection of human images, one of the universals is the quality of symmetry. One eye must not be higher or smaller than the other; there must be no sagging of one side of the face, both breasts must be present, etc. This is thought by reasearchers to reflect the tendency to value a healthy look, since disparity could indicate disease or injury, which could be an indication of lack of reproductive fitness.Since, apparently, even infants show this tendency, it is assumed to be biological and not just something that happens to be universally culturally transmitted.

See <a href="http://salmon.psy.plym.ac.uk/year3/PSY339EvolutionaryPsychology/EvolutionaryPsychology.htm#beautyandasymmetry" target="_blank">Beauty & Symmetry</a>.

Quetzal

Shows what you know. Ukrainian women, specifically Kievites, have the highest per capita population of beautiful women on the planet. All that Scandinavian heritage with better weather - and they aren't afraid to advertise. Ahhh, Springtime in Kiev, when women's underwear becomes outerwear...

MadMordigan

Cast your vote for the geographic region with the best gene pool for "prettiness"?

Planet Earth

more specifically, The Secular Web

petrachor

The evolutionary psychologist David Buss performed a cross-cultural survey to identify traits that people wanted in a mate a few years ago. Not surprisingly he found that several traits remained high valued across cultures.

The commonly valued traits in men, also not surprisingly ,were not as looks centered as those in women. In women, large eyes, small nose, clear skin, and symmetry, along with some others I don't recall atm were univerally valued. These traits tend to be indicative ofa young woman or healthy woman. Since young, healthy women make for the best mates on the short and long term, it is not surprising that such traits were commonly valued.

In and of itself beauty is often incidental or detriemntal towards survival fitness. Physical beauty exists solely to help an individual acrue a good mate or more mates. Consider male peacocks. Their plumes are clearly disadvantages when fleeing or hiding from predators, but a large plume attracts more female peacocks.

Luckily for out eastern european ladies, a pretty face doesn't attract wolves.