New research has revealed that the presence of animals in our environment will affect our decisions about the characteristics of the person we want to share our lives.
In an article published in the journal Psychology Today, evolutionary psychologist Robert Pires said that our desires and choices for our partner can be affected by specific variables and circumstances.
Under certain circumstances, we may be drawn to a certain type of person, and if these data change, we may find ourselves inclined to completely different individuals.
A threat to our lives is one of the known variables that have a direct impact on what we prefer in life. If we choose to live in a harsh or insecure environment, in return for living in a safe place that provides many opportunities and resources, our preferred partner type is changeable.
In some studies, volunteers underwent experiments to show how their choices had changed. In the midst of these experiences, volunteers have not lived up to these threats on the ground, but only in their minds. Researchers have given them insights into living in a particular environment to see how this influences their choices for their partner.
Some psychologists at the University of Auckland in Michigan, such as Simon Reeve, Justin Mugelsky and Lisa Wheeling, questioned the real reaction of people if the threat was real.
To answer their questions, the researchers conducted a unique experiment with a group of volunteers to investigate the effect of some animals, such as the rabbit and the snake, in determining their decisions about the traits they prefer in their partner.
Rabbit and Snake
In the light of the experience, a select group of volunteers were brought to the laboratory, which was in the form of a children's zoo, and told them that they would have a choice between dealing with a rabbit or a snake. Accordingly, the volunteer researchers divided two groups.
It was obvious that the group that dealt with the snake had a lot of fear compared to the other group. The volunteers responded to a series of opinion polls about their favorite physical characteristics.
The results of this research revealed that if the snake is present, women prefer men who have prominent masculine traits, such as being muscular, and that their bodies do not contain many fats.
During this experiment and with a snake in the room, the look of volunteer men, who do not usually tend to women with a strong physical structure, has changed and tend to women who have physical strength, unlike their attitude when dealing with a rabbit.
Previous studies in this area have also revealed that a person is attracted to a partner who has strong physical characteristics, when in a harsh or risky environment, since the controlling partner may be able to protect the other party from threats.
Reproduction or survival?
The researchers found that men often prefer to have short-term emotional relationships when they have to deal with the snake. This is because when a person is threatened with life, his or her focus may shift to reproduction rather than survival.
So why should a person settle with one partner and have children if there is a possibility that his life is short, bad, and risky? In fact, men in this case prefer instability and go through many emotional experiences.
Interestingly, psychologists also found that with the rabbit, men felt that they were in better control of the situation compared to the presence of the snake, while the presence of the snake contributed to making women less attractive than their dealings with the rabbit.