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By Paul Pacis
For singles, the dating game is a “hit or miss” endeavor that
can be likened to an inevitable battle between the sexes. Although
many take their cue from advice given by friends or the dramatized
examples found in today’s media, the art of finding a mate is
indeed more dynamic than any telenovela—it’s actually a science!
From wires from around the world,
here’s a compilation of interesting facts and findings that is
sure to help singles score (or at the very least, understand better
the psyche of the opposite sex).
Hungry eyes
Checking someone out is an
essential part of the dating game. From casual glances to down right
ogling, the eyes definitely have it. Common belief has it that men
have “hungrier” eyes than women but this is not the truth
according to scientists.
In a recent study, scientists
used eye-tracking technology to pinpoint what people looked at when
shown a series of sexy photos. Even academe expected women to be
more interested in faces and men in the naughty body parts, but
their findings were the exact opposite!
Dr. Heather Rupp of the US-based
Kinsey Institute said: “Men looked at the female face much more
than women and both looked at the genitals comparably.”
The age gap
Ever wonder just why men fall for
women young enough to be their daughters or women tend to hook up
with men far older than themselves? Well, that’s just the question
researchers at Vienna University have found that answer to.
The researchers say that men
choose younger wives, and women choose older husbands is because
they have evolved this way because of progeny, as younger wives
maximize the chances of producing offspring.
The theory is based on the
findings of a study that involved more than 11,600 Swedish men and
women aged 45-55, and their partners.
The researchers also noted that
the reason why women fall for older men is because the latter
represent resources and stability.
Study leader Martin Fieder said,
“These findings may account for the phenomenon that men typically
prefer and mate with women younger than themselves, whereas women
usually desire and mate with men older than themselves.”
“We conclude that the age
preference for the partner increases individual fitness of both men
and women and may thus be an evolutionarily acquired trait,” he
added.
Beauty vs. bank account
People may claim looks or money
aren’t everything when picking a mate but when it comes to the
wire, men go for beauty and women choose wealth and security,
according to an international study.
Indiana University cognitive
scientist Peter Todd and colleagues from Germany, England and
Scotland used a speed-dating session in Germany to look at what
people said they wanted in a mate with whom they actually chose.
“While humans may pride
themselves on being highly evolved, most still behave like the
stereotypical Neanderthals when it comes to choosing a mate,” Todd
said in a statement.
In the study, the men went after
the more attractive women and the women were drawn to material
wealth and security, setting their standards according to how they
viewed themselves. The men were not as picky as the women.
“Ancestral individuals who made
their mate choices in this way — women trading off their
attractiveness for higher quality men and men looking for any
attractive women who will accept them — would have had an
evolutionary advantage in greater numbers of successful
offspring,” said Todd.
Pucker Up
To kiss on the first date or not
to kiss? That is the question.
Winning a first kiss is enough of
a challenge for most male suitors. But getting the act itself right
may be even more important - because apparently it can determine
whether a relationship blooms.
According to scientists, women
often judge men exclusively on the quality of the first kiss and
females often judge men exclusively on the quality of the first
kiss. The pressure to perform, they say, rests mainly with men,
because women have developed kissing as an evolutionary tool to find
the right father for their children.
The research into the psychology
of kissing uncovered a “complicated exchange of information”
during a kiss.
Tongue contact and the exchange
of saliva were found to help both sexes make subconscious
assessments about each other. Women’s breath can indicate hormone
levels and fertility, while male saliva will have traces of the sex
hormone testosterone.
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