They’re a secondary sexual characteristic, so it seems like something that would get attention.

  • pixxelkick@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    To activate monkey neurons, it has to be an indicator of health.

    As an example, large breasts indicate health, as malnourishment during adolescence tends to result in smaller breasts later on.

    Muscles indicate health as well, so they tend to be considered attractive.

    For non health related features, like a symmetrical face, those ones are the non sexual dimorphic characteristics, as those ones you care about transferring regardless of sex. Both men and women want a symmetrical face, basically.

    So a large Adam’s apple is both a dimorphic feature and a non indicator of health, so its ignored.

      • pixxelkick@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        “Small” breasts typically are still large compared to a man’s chest.

        There are other factors than size anyways, for any feature. For breasts as an example, symmetry, skin clarity, and firmness will also signal a healthy prospective mate.

        “Small” breasts usually actually means “not sagging due to age”, as naturally speaking breasts, cheeks, and the neck of humans are common areas where sagging due to collagen levels can be witnessed in older age, so these are common cited areas of sexyal attraction.

        So “small” breasts really just means “not old”, which is fairly normal to signal the health of a potentional sexual partner.

        • randomdeadguy@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Ok smart guy, explain this: I like mature women, ass play, humiliation, and bondage too. Sometimes simultaneously! Take that, evolution.

          • pixxelkick@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Mature women is straightforward, older = more knowledge and capable.

            Pretty much everything else you listed is about trust, so I’d say that trust is a very big thing you value in a partner, and due to humans very long time they spend dependant on parents and our community survival strategy, trust is very much a trait that is selected for.

            People that are untrustworthy are unattractive, a lot of kinks primarily build on top of publicly shameful acts in private, which is effectively the ultimate trust fall exercise.

            Feeling like you can trust a partner with such acts is very very positively reinforced genetically, so it becomes sexually attractive.

            In short: because humans live together and make complex communities, trust is important, which means getting kinky is very sexy as it signals deep rooted trust.

            • randomdeadguy@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              Okay, fine, but what about non-hetero attraction and relationships? There’s an entire spectrum of human attraction and sexuality. I know there was an old study about a genetic factor that would increase the likelihood of, in this case, a male being attracted to other males, but I am confused as to how a germline could propagate a heritable factor that would result in no offspring. I am not an expert.

          • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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            8 months ago

            Orgasm is an escape from pain. Humiliation is painful. If you jerk off to escape that pain, it enacts classical conditioning so that humiliation causes your brain to anticipate sex.

    • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      For non health related features, like a symmetrical face

      Your genes code for symmetry. Symmetry in the resulting body indicates a healthy upbringing.