Sexual attraction is the key to the perpetuation of the human species. It pervades our everyday lives in numerous ways, including how we behave, how we interact with each other, even the advertisements we see. In this hour of The Infinite Mind, we take a look at sexual attraction from the point of view of evolution, anthropology, biology -- and cabaret.
The program begins with first person accounts of sexual attraction from people who have given it perhaps more thought than most … people who have worked in the sex industry. Tracy spent many years working as a call girl, JoEllen is a former teenage prostitute and junkie, and Mike is a phone sex operator.
Dr. Goodwin then interviews David Buss, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas and the author of "The Evolution of Desire" and "The Dangerous Passion", and Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University and the author of "Anatomy of Love" and "The First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women and How they are Changing the World."
Both Dr. Fisher and Dr. Buss agree that men are more concerned with physical attributes in long-term mates: how a woman looks, if she appears youthful and shows signs of health and fertility. They also agree that women are more likely to look for a long-term mate who can offer security and resources. Dr. Buss has done a multi-cultural study of sexual attraction and found that symmetry is an important part of attraction, and may have an evolutionary basis in the fact that asymmetrical faces and bodies can be the result of genetic and environmental insults. He found that chastity was a trait that was highly valued in some cultures and totally unimportant in others.
The two guests disagree on the matter of desire for a variety of sexual partners. Dr. Buss says that while both men and women have a desire for sexual variety, men have a greater desire. Dr. Fisher argues that the way that desire has been measured is problematic. She points out that researchers ask college students if they would sleep with someone on campus if their were no repercussions, and the vast majority of men say yes, and most women say no. She argues that if you asked women if they would sleep with Robert Redford who will buy them a Porsche, they might answer differently, since, she says, women look for resources.
For more information on David Buss and his work, check out the following web site: http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/FACULTY/BussD/bussD.html
The program then takes a turn toward the lighter side, with a performance by cabaret performer Sidney Meyer of a song called "Ode to Pheromones." Sidney Meyer performs regularly in the cabaret show "The Poole Party" at Don't Tell Mama in New York City. For more information on Don't Tell Mama, check out their web site at www.donttellmama.com.
From there we move on to a more serious discussion of the topic. Dr. Goodwin speaks with Dr. Charles Wysocki , a neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and Dr. George Preti, a chemist at the Monell Center, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Drs. Wysocki and Preti point out that while pheromones play an important part in the sex lives of insects, there is not yet proof that they play a role in human sexual attraction. There is, however, evidence that humans have the equipment needed to send and possibly receive chemical signals.
For more information on the work of Drs. Preti and Wysocki, go to the Monell Chemical Senses Center web site at www.monell.org.
Next, reporter Carole Zimmer reports on research into biology and homosexuality. She talks to Simon LeVay, whose 1990 report that he found differences between the size of the hypothalmus in gay and straight men sparked controversy. She then talks to others scientists about the nature vs. nurture debate in homosexuality, and to members of the gay and lesbian community about their thoughts on the subject.
Finally, John Hockenberry weighs in with his thoughts on sexual attraction.
