Attraction and mating - Essay Example

Some of the most fundamental issues examined within biological sciences relate to the core concepts of attraction and mating. In general terms mating is understood as the coming together of two opposite sex organisms into a form of copulation that results in reproduction. Attraction is broadly understood as the process wherein these individual creates attract the opposite sex organism that they will copulate with in the act of mating. While these are broad understandings of this terminology, there is also a large amount of scientific research that goes into understanding these elements in terms of the differences and specific elements within species.

This essay considers these elements from a variety of perspectives in order to come to a greater understanding of their key elements. In terms of attraction there are a number of broad issues that scientists have identified as key concepts within this field of understanding. One of the primary elements of attraction that has been identified is the idea of symmetry. Symmetry is the scientifically research construct wherein animals are more drawn to the symmetrical nature of other animals’ faces and bodies.

The theoretical understanding behind this concept is that strong symmetry demonstrates that individuals have demonstrated the ability to go through the development process in a strong fashion and as a result are healthy and demonstrate fertility for mating. A biologist at the University of Mexico stated, "It makes sense to use symmetry variation in mate choice," said evolutionary biologist Randy Thornhill of the University of New Mexico" If you choose a perfectly symmetrical partner and reproduce with them, your offspring will have a better chance of being symmetric and able to deal with perturbations" (Carey 2007).

Research has been conducted that has demonstrated that individuals with more symmetrical faces are perceived as more attractive by members of the opposite sex. The exact numbers of sexual partners vary between men and women, with research indicating symmetry being a more important part of a man’s composition than a woman’s. Another central element of attraction is body shape. In these regards, the waist to hip ratio, or the WHR as it has been referred is one of the primary aspects in these regards.

Scientists have even measured the waist to hip ratio that has been shown to be the most effective in attractive members of the opposite sex; in these regards, it has been demonstrated that a waist to hip ratio of .7 is the most effective ratio in which to attract members of the opposite sex. In terms of men, there is what is referred to as the Adonis index. This feature considers that women are most attracted to broad shoulders and a V-neck body shape wherein from the torso to the pelvis a V neck tapers of through muscle and skeletal structure.

In addition to this element men are also judged by their waist to hip ratio. In these regards, the most effective waist to hip ratio for men is slightly larger than that of women. For men the ideal ratio is between .8 and 1.0. While there are a number of elements that scientists have attempted to discern in the waist to hip ratio’s relation to attractiveness, research has focused on a few specific points. One of the primary determinants is the belief that the waist to hip ratio functions to allow potential partners know if the individual will have enough energy to be able to care for their offspring.

For women, this involves a complex interaction between estrogen and fat deposits that send signals to the opposite sex as to if they will have the proper energy necessary for reproduction and offspring care. For men, this relation is between testosterone and fat deposits. It’s been demonstrated that individuals residing in this ideal waist to hip ratio face less challenges with diseases, such as cardiovascular and other such complications; women in this range have also been demonstrated to have an easier time during pregnancy.

There also exists elements of related to attraction and