17 November 2008
Facial Scars & Evolutionary Psych
Posted by Admin under: Science .
According to the Telegraph:
A facial scar, preferably one that looks like it was inflicted in anger rather than the aftermath of chickenpox or acne, increases men’s attractiveness to a woman for a short-term relationship, according to researchers.
The article goes on to say:
Exactly why women favour scars is not clear, but one theory is that they provide visible evidence of past trauma and may also communicate information about the man’s history and personality, as well as affect their attractiveness. It has also been suggested that scarring associated with violence may signal to a woman that the man has a risk-taking personality or above average masculinity, both of which might appeal to women for short term relationships. Because of that, scars may indirectly be a sign of good genes or a strong immune system that also appeal to women for short-term relationships.
This is a pretty strong confirmation of the “alpha male for breeding” aspect of evolutionary psychology. As a recap to the theory, Alpha Males are good short term picks for their superior genetic material, but they are poor long term mates because they are disinclined to nurture offspring. Facial scars are a good indicator of genuine alpha male qualities because those scars have a low chance of being faked. Beta males opportunistically false signal alphaness to females by adopting stereotypical alpha symbols or behaviors. Meanwhile females seek to test their suitors to find genuine alphas.
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