In species which reproduce sexually, sexual attractiveness to other members of the same species is an important survival factor.
Table of contents |
2 Sexual attraction in humans |
Sexual attractiveness in non-human animals depends on a wide variety of factors. Often, there is some element of the animal's body which is adapted to be sexually attractive to the opposite sex: the bright plumage and crests of some species of birds, for example. In many species, there are behaviors which appear to be adapted for sexual display. Some of these attributes seem to be adapted to demonstrate fitness and health, for example by demonstrating the ability to sustain an "expensive" feature with no other apparent survival function.
Sexual attractiveness of a person to another person depends on both persons; to some extent there may be general agreement that a person is sexually attractive, but for the rest it is "a matter of taste".
Much of human sexual attractiveness is governed by first appearances. This involves the senses, in the beginning especially:
However, provided that all of these aspects are reasonably normal, there is no requirement for great physical beauty for a person to be sexually attractive, and personality and good manners come to the fore. In many cases, people with good personality can be strikingly sexually attractive, even if they are superficially sexually unattractive in appearance. However, as they do not have the advantage of instant attraction through appearance, this requires more social interaction to attract potential partners.
See also:
Sexual attraction in non-human animals
Sexual attraction in humans
Appearance and superficial sexual attractiveness
A sexually attractive visual appearance in humans generally involves:
However, these factors are complicated by many other factors:Personality and sexual attractiveness