Blind people value members of the opposite sex in the same way as non-blind people, that is, men value the physical attractiveness of women and women, the status and material resources of man.
This is what it suggests this new study, still preprint, from researchers at the University of Aberdeen.
Blindness at different ages
The cross-cultural research has repeatedly demonstrated sexual differences in the characteristics of men and women when choosing a partner. Men tend to express higher preferences for younger, more physically attractive women, while women tend to place more importance on a man's status and resources.
As the evaluation of such mate characteristics often relies on visual cues, this raises the question of whether visual experience is necessary for sex-specific mate preferences to develop.
To this end, the study evaluated 94 sighted and blind participants with different ages of onset of blindness. The results replicated well-documented findings in sighted people, with men placing more importance on physical attractiveness and women placing more importance on status and resources. However, although physical attractiveness was less important for blind men, Blind women considered physical attractiveness as important as sighted women.
The importance of high status and a pleasant personality was not influenced by sight. Blind people considered auditory cues to be more important than visual cues, while sighted men showed the opposite pattern.
It is intriguing to consider what auditory or other cues, in addition to a pleasant voice, indicate a good physique. Can blind people distinguish step or weight when hearing footsteps? Do the less fit smell bad? Can you feel the quality, cleanliness, or musculature of your skin with handshakes or hugs?
A blind person is also likely to rate a partner's specific visual traits if these traits are generally rated as more desirable within a society because having a more socially desirable partner can increase the value of the individual.
That is to say, the same dynamics continue to occur regarding the attractiveness of a potential partner: a mixture of biological predispositions + a desire to obtain what society considers valuable to increase status + the handicap theory (what is difficult to achieve becomes desirable ). That explains complex signs such as high heels or an expensive but uncomfortable car:
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The news
Both blind men and women find the same characteristics attractive as sighted men.
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.