Psychology News
A team of researchers at the University of Vienna explored why musicians are more desirable dates to both men and women. The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
The Study
The researchers examined the role of musicality in sexual attraction. The participants were played piano solo music and showed faces of average attractiveness.
Then, they were asked to rate facial attractiveness and dating desirability. The researchers assessed the results using Charles Darwin’s sexual selection hypothesis of music.
Understanding Darwin’s Sexual Selection Hypothesis
Charles Darwin suggested that music acts as a courtship display when it comes to choosing a reproductive partner. For humans, with advanced cognitive abilities, musicality may be indicative of biological fitness and good genes in the social environment.
The researchers used this theory to determine whether musicality can be considered a sexually dimorphic trait.
The Findings
The results revealed that musicians and performers are considered to be more desirable dates by both men and women. The participants, in fact, rated certain faces higher on attractiveness based on the arousal or pleasantness qualities of the music associated with the respective faces.
The authors elaborated: “Mate choice and dating behavior are determined by a wide range of factors. The human face is an important biological and social cue in any dating scenario. Musicality may be another relevant cue because researchers have proposed that musicality is a signal of intelligence and enhanced motor skills.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Marin, M. M., & Rathgeber, I. (2022). Darwin’s sexual selection hypothesis revisited: Musicality increases sexual attraction in both sexes. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 971988. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.971988