Why do we find attractive the physical traits we find attractive?

I'be heard science saying it's all about procreation, a.k.a reproducing.

 

*Waits for the sciency guy to arrive and explain everything*

 

There could be/and are likely many factors of why people have specific attractions to someone physically.

It could be psychological/emotional, we may have had some sort of experience in our life of which we find specific traits someone has to be highly attractive.

It could just relate to how we are as a person, finding common similarities and differences in others and detecting which and what is more "suitable" and/or "appealing" physically.

Maybe even genetics play a role, evolution and genes give us specific hormones and chemicals that react whenever we witness certain physical performances coming to fruition. For either out of survival purposes, or means of what is more likely best to reproduce with. Or what traits that are found to be appeasing within a mate.

At least personally, I believe all of this plays a role in some way.

 

Science: da biologeez influence it.

Psychological: da self-esteemz, projection, or compensation influence it.

Me: I like what I like, damn it.

 

Because hotnezz

 

It can't just be about procreation. That only applies to straight people. Last I checked gay men and women can't get each other pregnant by natural means.

 

Straight people don't only have sex for procreation either, ya'know.

 

I've heard that's how mates are selected most of the time in the heterosexual mating game. It's about good genetics to be passed on to offspring ... physical, intellectual, etc.

In LGBT situations, I'd almost speculate it's sort form of admiration of something a person might not have themselves, an affirmation of features they like within themselves, and/or some kind of media conditioning that those physical traits are desirable.

 

We don't also like same movies, same music, same books or same food.

Do we really like the things we think we like? I mean I always been attracted to blonde guys but I can think many unattractive blonde guys as well.

One thing I noticed tho' every guy I think very attractive has some aspect on their birth chart that tickles my Moon(Leo) or Venus(Gemini) sing. However then again I don't find every guy with those qualities attractive...

Another reason I find under my attractions is childhood exposure. I remember watching Hello Dolly when I was a kid. Other than singing songs from that movie with my non existant English, I nail many qualities I find attractive on guys in that movie... Red/black uniforms, muttonchops, blonde guys with glasses and such.

In the end these are qualities that melt away when they meet realities of life. You fall in love without you even know it and it make itself known wheter you like it or not.

 

In the Middle Ages pale, chubby or even fat women were what was considered attractive, and this went so deep inside people's heads that they actually thought that 'chubby' is the most attractive form a female body can take.
Of course, this had a biological (bigger breasts = image of fertility, etc) and psychological/social backgrounds (a pale, chubby woman was one that didn't have to work out in the sun for survival), but people didn't consciously think "I believe this woman is fertile and therefore I like her", it's a subtle 'brainwash' if I may use this term, similar to the one going on today about being slim or toned and conforming to western standards of beauty. I don't remember 'big booties' and stuff like that being mainstream before Minaj and twerking trends, actually what I remember from 10 years ago was anti-anorexia campaigns. People's taste changes over time.
I'm not saying everyone is brainwashed into liking what they like in a particular type - we are logical beings with our own conscience - but the reason there are certain types that are the norm (like 'jocks') is society, films, porn and porn-oriented marketing, and so many other things that crawl their way into our minds. Humans are social beings and cannot exist in complete isolation.

 

It's all about finding the best mate for strengthening and maintaining our species. Things vary a lot from culture to culture, but one example is muscular people. People are attracted to them probably because they are the best in survival situations. Intelligence is also a trait many look for.

But we are strongly affected by the society we live in, which in many cases defines what we find a attractive. In western culture, we find thin people the most attractive; in another culture, chubby people might be what is considered most attractive.

 

A key part of attractiveness is good lymphatic health.

Okay, forget about "all about the bass" and all that shiz. It doesn't make a lick of difference, all by itself, whether you have "curves" or not. However, you can tell whether or not you have good lymphatic health, and it plays a strong roll in your physical attractiveness. Furthermore, there is stuff you can do about it.

Lymph is the clear fluid that runs through your body, and it moves by a different means than your blood. Your lymph fluid actually is moved along by tiny, little pumps throughout your body, and it moves very slowly. You have a lot of it, and this is really how your body moves around all the stuff that is too large or chemically inappropriate for your blood stream.

Among other things, it determines how fat is distributed on your body, including your boobs. It is actually appropriate, from the perspective of lymphatic health, that we find larger breasts to be more attractive. It isn't just about the woman's ability to feed children, but if the breasts are developing nicely and evenly, that is a sign that her lymphatic system is in excellent health, which actually guards against breast cancer.

One way that you can improve the movement of this fluid, throughout your body, is just light exercise. No, you don't have to go out jogging or hit the gym. Just go for a stroll. If you have a cat, then bust out your cat taxi, and let the kitty get some fresh air and sunshine. Go window-shopping if it suits you, and don't feel guilty if you stop and get something that is a little fatty on the trip. It's not about trying to lose weight, but it's about promoting the healthy movement of fluid throughout your body.

Another method is massage, especially oil massage but not necessarily. If you have a partner, try offering to give your partner a massage on a regular basis. It doesn't have to be stilted or formal, but on the contrary, you get the best movement of fluid when you and your partner are completely relaxed. Instead of trying to make a formal procedure or some production out of it, try pretending, in your mind, that your partner is a great, big lion from the zoo, and you're getting a chance to pet on it. Try doing some tickling or some roleplay. It's okay to not take it seriously because relaxation itself really helps the fluid move better, even if you're not really following any formal procedure.

Yoga is also good. You don't have to do anything adventurous or learn all of the fancy poses that are supposed to do this and that, but just find poses that relax you and make you feel good. Find poses that make you feel sexy. That feeling of "Wow, I feel sexy" is really actually the feeling of your lymph nodes working well, and you feel them working. It feels like an internal massage. Rather than trying to follow a more formal procedure, try to learn to understand, intuitively, how your system tries to communicate with you. Learn to feel your way around.

This is how you turn those extra pounds into those "nice, luscious curves" that people talk about. Really, you could be kind of chubby and make it look good just by getting the fluid in your body to behave better. To me, every trait, in either sex, that I feel really contributes to attractiveness is connected, at least loosely, to good lymphatic health.

 

As an important addendum, I feel I concentrated too much on women's attractiveness, which is partly because of society's preoccupation with it and partly because I'm sort of a hi-fem gay guy and like to see more feminine traits in my appearance.

However, good lymphatic health is also important for producing good muscular definition, particularly in the legs. If you are wanting to not only have good muscular development there but also definition, getting the fluid to move properly, throughout your body, is important for getting the nice, defined shape that you are looking for. You want to reduce water-retention because one thing that messes up that definition you want is actually water-retention. You will never have good "pecs" without good lymphatic health. You will never have good "abs" without good lymphatic health.

It takes a long time to reverse the effects of poor lymphatic health because tissues can become damaged over time, so really, consider this to be just as important as keeping a healthy weight. You don't just need cardiovascular exercise, but you need slow, calm, relaxing exercise that helps train your body to move things around in ways that are good for you.

And, to me, that is at the core of what sexiness is really about. Good health really is central, and I see this as one of the most important dimensions for making us look good.

 

Technically for reproductive purposes, say someone who is overweight we would see that they are unhealthy and may affect our offspring and so on.

But for other things? I have no idea! Why am I so unbelievably attracted to guys with certain hairstyles (like below, proper cute guy BTW!)

 

I feel like both biology and the environment factors into this. It's partly biological because we're designed to seek out healthy mates for the purpose of offspring, and I believe It's the same with LGBT and sterile straight people. Think of it being like how women are factually more horny during ovulation. We get horny because we're supposed to reproduce during this time, even lesbians and straight women who don't want kids. Not wanting kids doesn't matter because the body can't read what the mind wants and reacts accordingly to biology.

As for environmental factors, different societies have different beauty standards and a lot of people play into those desires.

 

From what I understand people can be attracted to people who share similar physical characteristics to themselves, this is why couples or even friends sometimes look oddly alike. I heard this in a documentary I watched on netflix a while back called the Science of Sex Appeal. Also symmetry has a lot to do with particularly facial characteristics but also general physical attractiveness, which has to do with procreation, who is the fittest and most able to pass on their genes.

 

Well, to an extent I believe it is biological. Like, survival of the fittest. In birds they usually do "courting" and usually the male who is the most flamboyant and colourful will attract the female easiest, because to the female they have the best genes to pass on. They also will build the biggest nest to attract females, which would be a good trait for the female to want for the offspring.

So with things such as how physically fit someone is, is attractive because it's represents being healthy, so better survival. I think other things such as looks can just be personal preference and how we have developed to prefer certain things though, since we have evolved much further than everything else.

Just my theory

 

Oddly enough, what is perceived to beautiful in faces is actually pretty universal around the world. So, at least for faces, our perception of attractiveness is arguably innate.

Composites drawn from images of multiple people tend to prettier than the average. This is not at all what one would expect when considering the connotations of "average" (i.e. not exceptional/beautiful in this case). It does make sense though, when you think of it in terms of "averaging out" blemishes.



The Beauty Math: Average Is Attractive

The above link from Boston University explains some theories for the second "why?" question - why we prefer the mathematically average. Evolutionary psychologists posit that mathematically "average" facial features signal mate quality, but I've only ever heard a decent case for symmetry - because *some* toxins and nutritional deficiencies create growth imbalances on either side of the face.

Another theory the linked article describes has to do with how quickly we are able to process the visual image. "Average" faces, in this theory, are closer to our mental representation of what the human face looks like (another composite of every face we've seen in itself).

 

It's probably something biological.