Why Tough Guys Get the Girl

by Finding Dulcinea    August 29, 2008

Posted to findingDulcinea by Cara McDonough

Aggressive men don’t only win fights; they may be more attractive to women from an evolutionary standpoint. 

In a new study, a mathematical analysis of the evolution of war, Laurent Lehmann and Marc Feldman showed that “‘selective pressure’ on the genes linked with belligerence and bravery can be substantial even in groups of large size,” the Daily Telegraph reports. 

The findings could be interpreted to mean that, throughout history, evolution has consistently chosen the most aggressive, audacious group, and that aggressive men received genetic or cultural traits, giving them an advantage to prosper and multiply. 

The Times of London explains the sexual aspect of the study: “New research suggests that braver soldiers may ultimately win more sexual partners as well as more battles, and that the extra chances to spread their genes can outweigh the risk of dying in combat.”

In traditional hunter-gatherer societies, conquering neighboring tribes brought two distinct advantages to aggressive men. First, by having sex with perished enemies’ wives, the most courageous of warriors could have more offspring with the same genes. Secondly, the men captured additional territory.

“This has consequences for our understanding of the evolution of intertribal interactions, as hunter-gatherer societies are well known to have frequently raided neighbouring groups from whom they appropriated territory, goods and women,” said Lehmann and Feldman.

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