A basic instinct constantly pushes people to seek out the best members of the opposite sex, and then forces them to delve into the reasons for their failures. New research only confirms the sad truth: asymmetrical individuals, especially men, find it extremely difficult to win the battle for a woman's heart.
American scientists from Rutgers University (New Jersey) decided to experiment with uninitiated Jamaican teenagers aged 14 to 19. A crowd of 183 young men and women were forced to dance and filmed with special cameras that captured their movements. The same type of cameras are used to film actors in animated films. Women observing the performance singled out the most symmetrical dancers. Men, as we know, are never satisfied with just one woman, so although they preferred girls with identical fingers, hands, and feet, they couldn't settle on just one. They liked almost all the perfectly formed dancers.
This led the researchers to conclude that gentlemen are less capricious than ladies. It has previously been proven that beauty is a kind of indicator of health. Therefore, ladies subconsciously choose the most symmetrical men to produce viable offspring. Moreover, this applies not only to humans but also to animals. Peahens and barn swallows are guided by the same instincts, choosing among members of the opposite sex those with more symmetrical tails.
And intimate life, a harmoniously developed member of the stronger sex also fares better. Not only is his sperm more agile, but one study showed that no matter how hard a man tries, no matter what songs he sings, no matter what flowers he gives, no matter how much he recites Pushkin, he won't give a woman as much pleasure as his well-balanced rival. This is why rejected suitors are tormented by jealousy, shaking their uneven fists at their traitors.
No one is perfect, and we're all asymmetrical, some more than others. Some are lucky enough to have simply different-sized index fingers, while others struggle with different-sized feet. Scientists measure the body's so-called fluctuating asymmetry, which they consider an indicator of an individual's ability to cope with the various influences and stresses that arise during growth and development. “As you develop, you're subject to illness and injury,” explained anthropologist Lee Cronk, one of the study's authors. “If, despite all of this, you're able to grow up symmetrical, then you have all the makings of an adaptive, sustainable life.”
The researchers also suggested that well-built people have better coordination and are able to perform more complex dance steps, which is what attracts viewers of the opposite sex.