The mechanics of attraction
May. 14th, 2010 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgToday I was pondering the mechanics of attraction*. I can blame Stephen Baxter's book Evolution for part of that, because it's been making me think about mate selection. And then last night I saw the lamborghini.
Shiny things aside, I've also been thinking about how females might find male wealth and power attractive (there's a lot of it floating around the ACS if you swing that way, and I've met plenty of wealthy corporate types). Not just convenient, but actually attractive. On that basis the owner of lambo (or any sufficiently shiny thing) should be attractive, particularly if combined with the trappings of power (a nice suit etc).
Personally, I'd find a male more attractive if *he* also found the lambo attractive, on its own merits as a piece of engineering. A man who has a beautiful car with the sole purpose of attracting chicks is anathema to me.
So I would have no trouble in choosing the poor-lambo-fan over the rich-but-unappreciative-lambo-owner. But I'm not in the business of providing for my offspring; I'm in the business of seeking companionship for myself. So is that the secret to the perfect relationship? I like people who like the things I like (or at least with the same kind of enthusiasm), while other women are attracted material wealth and comfort for themselves (optionally), but definitely for their children?
I'm not talking gold-digging here, but actual attraction, and long-term planning.
I think I'll stop right here and let these ideas fester a bit more.
(*) to keep my life simple at this point I'll start with western hetero.
Shiny things aside, I've also been thinking about how females might find male wealth and power attractive (there's a lot of it floating around the ACS if you swing that way, and I've met plenty of wealthy corporate types). Not just convenient, but actually attractive. On that basis the owner of lambo (or any sufficiently shiny thing) should be attractive, particularly if combined with the trappings of power (a nice suit etc).
Personally, I'd find a male more attractive if *he* also found the lambo attractive, on its own merits as a piece of engineering. A man who has a beautiful car with the sole purpose of attracting chicks is anathema to me.
So I would have no trouble in choosing the poor-lambo-fan over the rich-but-unappreciative-lambo-owner. But I'm not in the business of providing for my offspring; I'm in the business of seeking companionship for myself. So is that the secret to the perfect relationship? I like people who like the things I like (or at least with the same kind of enthusiasm), while other women are attracted material wealth and comfort for themselves (optionally), but definitely for their children?
I'm not talking gold-digging here, but actual attraction, and long-term planning.
I think I'll stop right here and let these ideas fester a bit more.
(*) to keep my life simple at this point I'll start with western hetero.
