Do many people hold this view?

Question

I was reading through some of the questions and answers earlier, and came across this response:

" ... Beauty is an indication of good genes and fertility in a woman, which is naturally what a man should seek in his partner" and it got me thinking:

Is this assertion one which is broadly agreed upon?

Note: I don't want to link the source to this response, b/c it might be against Yahoo T&S.

Answer 1

Appearances are very deceiving, and people who are preaching this type of a pseudo philosophy are naive at best. I modeled for living in my youth and spent many years surrounded by some of the most beautiful females in the world. We keep in touch, even though it has been a long time since we worked together. My beautiful friends have the very same problems as the rest of the world. Some of them struggle with infertility and spend millions of dollars to have a baby their ordinary looking neighbor had no problem conceiving time and again.

Answer 2

You are dead on the money: beauty is culturally defined and subjective.  There is no "beauty gene".  Granted, we are hardwired to be drawn to healthy looking specimens - but that's not the same as "beautiful" or "handsome".

Answer 3

Nature dictates that. To breed the best specimen males look for the most comely female. Transversely the female looks for a male who will pass on the strongest traits and who can provide the best.

Answer 4

There have been studies that indicate symmetry is more "attractive" (e.g. men AND women, and even infants, will gaze at a face for a longer period of time that is mathematically more symmetrical than those that are less symmetrical). And it is believed that "symmetry" is a visual indicator of youth and fertility, in other words HEALTH, as you said. BEAUTY is culturally defined, and changes over time, and from one place to another.

What is considered beautiful by today's western standards would not have been considered attractive at all during the Middle Ages in the West. The person that made the statement is confusing visual cues for health and fertility (that do exist) with cultural standards of beauty. "Beauty" is not an indicator of fertility, that's just sloppy thinking, and confusion on their part.

Answer 5

I think it's part of human nature to have good feeling towards something that looks beautiful.  

I do believe there's a scientific reason behind it, like female wanting a strong gene to have strong offspring.

I also believe that individual person have different "desire" to compensate for what they are lacking in their DNA.

May be a man with naturally low iron in his blood would be attracted to woman with plenty of iron in her system.

It's all at subconscious level  and I doubt it's something that effects us greatly, but I wouldn't deny the effect at all.

I'm pretty sure I would fall for Johnny Depp over some yobbo who might compensate what's lacking in my DNA!

Answer 6

As humans we can't help but want to be physically attracted to our partners and look for those "desirable traits". It's something instinctual that we've had for millions of years. Can you really see yourself with an ugly person? I can't.

Answer 7

Yes.

Answer 8

It's a half-truth of sorts. You're absolutely right that beauty is culturally defined.  But then there are numerous psychological studies showing that men (and women) are attracted to features that correlate with fertility. Some of those features correspond to youth, and some do correspond to what is considered beautiful in our culture.

Answer 9

Short bald headed men are not considered as virile as tall, & handsome men are.  Human beings judge each other based upon unconscious "codes"* & millions of years of programming.  Within seconds, most humans have already judged another person.**  Doesn't leave much time to gauge the other's intellect.  

Beauty is either in the eyes of the beholder or in the wallet of the beholden.  

Answer 10

Naturally it's one of the things...since all of her children will be less likely to have birth defects.  I see two problems easily which arise however when focusing only on this...

Are those kids she is carrying mine?

Do I want to put up with this brain dead, bitchy or completely insane woman for 20 years?  

So personality really is more important.

Answer 11

I doubt it.  Who makes it farther in life?  The beauty or the intellect?  Beauty only lasts so long and many know this.  One shouldn't pick a partner based simply on looks because this is not an indicator of fertility or even good genes.  The most beautiful person can be utterly lacking in intelligence, ambition, drive, or even common sense.  And this doesn't sound like a way for the human race to advance.

Originally fertility in women was gauged by hip size and, believe it or not, strength.  Strong legs, arms, and backs were signs of fertility.  Like men, strong women were thought to be the most fertile.

Yes, a great deal of people are attracted to looks.  But how many times have people turned away from an utterly beautiful person because they were lacking in all other areas?  Quite often.  Now, if you have beauty, intellect, AND personality, you have it made.

Answer 12

Sounds like a n**i slogan to me.

Answer 13

No its one of apparent scientifc observation.

Answer 14

Don't let the majority fool you.

It's amazing how people can disguise their superstitions and prejudices under science to make them look as indisputable truth!

It's nature's dictate! It's instinctual! Darwin said it! That's all you have to say in order to turn beliefs into facts.

Try disputing "Fereshte" on the need of intelligence for the survival of the species.

Try disputing "Ms. Sophisticate's" example of the relation of beauty and fertility.

People, stop reading fashion magazines.

Answer 15

This is what is called "Darwinism" this is the only goood ism!