Nature Or Nurture?; Evolutionary psychologists taking the lead

The National Post reports:

The secret of sexual attraction has long mystified those held in its throes, but it perplexes scientists and academics too, who have been squabbling about the inner workings of our sexual proclivities for eons.

Freudians point the finger at potty training, evolutionary psychologists fixate on hip-to-waist ratios, while neuroscientists attribute all to hormonal cocktails. Even the best researchers seem stumped by what laymen lovers call chemistry: the attachment we view as a profoundly unique experience with our mate of choice.

In their recently released book, The Psychology of Physical Attraction, British psychologists Adrian Furnham and Viren Swami attempt to debunk what they call "overstatements" of evolutionary psychology, which suggests one of the primary drivers for being sexually attracted to certain people is because they possess physical characteristics that indicate health. This thesis underscores one of evolutionary psychology’s zanier theories, which is low waist-hip ratio, or the voluptuousness historically associated with health and fertility.

Using three-dimensional images of women, Mr. Swami, who lectures in psychology at the University of Westminster, has tested more than 2,000 men worldwide since 2005. His study found that, despite the claims of the evolutionary psychology set, men hardly ever pay attention to waist-hip ratio.

In an interview, Mr. Swami said it is too simplistic to ascribe all aspects of attraction to evolutionary gains or losses: "In real life, attraction’s much more complicated. You have to take into account the individuals in that attraction process, their relationship history, their relationship status, what they’re looking for in a partner, their self-esteem, their shyness."