How does sexual selection work?

Answer 1

you think someone looks good so you date them.

Answer 2

Sexual selection involves individuals choosing a mate with particular traits. For instance, if every female in some population (we could use humans) chooses to mate with only the most muscular young lads, there would be a "drift" in the characteristics of that population because all the strapping young lads would get to pass on their genes, but the fat lazy slobs would not. The resulting male babies would grow up to be strapping young lads, who the next batch of females would choose, and so on until the fat lazy slobs have become extinct.

This is different from natural selection, where some external factor - say, a shortage of food - drives a change in the population. For instance, animals that can reach decent food supplies will stay healthy and able to mate, while animals that cannot reach food may die off before they can mate. Thus, the traits that allowed an animal to reach food (say, a longer neck, or better climbing skills) would be passed on to future generations.

PS: Why didn't you ask this in the science section?

Answer 3

There is evidence that human beings are hard wired to recognize our own kind by means of proportion. The closer a person comes to matching "golden" proportions, the more likely they are to be viewed as attractive, regardless of age, sex or race. This may be something wired into us to help us avoid chosing mates with genetic problems. Here's a link to an article about human beauty and divine proportion:
http://www.beautyanalysis.com/index2_mba.htm

Hope this helps!
Tom

Answer 4

I'd love to show you...

Seriously, hormones and pheromones. From there you look for either Mr Right, or Mr Right-Now. I'll volunteer to be the latter.

Answer 5

What qualities attract a female of a species will be reproduced in their offspring. If the attributes do not attract her, there will be no sex...therefore the DNA dies out.

Answer 6

The individuals who get to reproduce in a population are the ones that the opposite sex is willing to have sex with.

Answer 7

You have sex with whoever the scientist tells you to. Nice system uh?

Just kidding. If you're not choosing baby, someone else will for you.

Answer 8

What? Um...kind of a delicate topic. Uh,well,you see,if you,um,like some one - I mean in a special sort of way - then,you know,uh...
Tell you what. Ask mom if you're a girl,or dad if you're a boy.

Answer 9

pheromones