My famous namesake, Oscar Wilde, once said, “The only way
to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” I often quote this
truism and end up getting a lot of heat for it. Each time the issue comes
up I have to listen to yet another person pontificate about the power
of the will. But recent studies on the biology of attraction show that
Oscar has been right all along. Reason, traditions, and social organizations--such as the family and
community-- go only so far in harnessing the call of the wild. When instinct kicks in, giving rise to the animal
within, nature renders men mere slaves to lust.
In addition to instinctive responses, as exemplified by the fight-or-flight
reaction, humans have a complex limbic system, responsible for the ability
learn and automate new responses and an unreliable neocortex. The neocortex
is the only defense men have against the commanding forces of lust, temptation,
and desire. Every time the urge to bed a hot young woman blessed with
curvaceous hips and luscious lips raises its head, the neocortex kicks
in, conjuring the reasons why this is a terrible idea. Interestingly,
the consumption of alcohol impairs the neocortex first, allowing the
limbic system to get in the driver seat. No wonder, after a few
martinis guys start navigating the bad-decisions super-highway at breakneck
speed.
According to Laurence Gonzales, the problem stems from the cold, hard
facts of evolution. Gonzales contends, “What we call civilization
has existed for a fraction of a second in evolutionary time,” and
that is precisely why human bodies are having a tough time keeping up
with the changes in customs, culture and technology. While the homosapien
brain has not progressed past the “hunter-gatherer” mentality,
modern society demands fidelity, monogamy, responsibility, logic, and
wisdom from us.
Richard Dawkins of Oxford University wrote in his revolutionary book, The
Selfish Gene, “We are survival machines—robot vehicles
blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes.” In
other words, the male existence is driven by the constant call to select
a suitable mate and impregnate her. Armed with this knowledge women
can better understand and consequently manipulate men. That is, if
we can decipher the evolutionary reasons why men lust after certain
types, we can model our look accordingly.
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HAIR—Long, Lustrous Tresses
Did you know the biological reasons underlying men's fascination with
lustrous hair? Apparently, it takes three years to grow a shoulder length
mane and hair, being a non-vital organ, is first to suffer when the host
gets infected with disease or parasites. The implication being that a
woman with long tresses is likely to survive a pregnancy and bear healthy
offspring. Thus, when a lad looks at a femme with long, beautiful, thick
hair, his limbic system starts going wild. That is why in numerous societies
throughout history women have shorn their hair upon getting married or
covered it up all along to keep temptation at bay.
Lesson One: Stop over processing
your locks and nurture them back to health. The natural oils from your
scalp keep the follicles healthy and moisturized, so don’t shampoo
too often. When you go in for a cut, let your stylist know you want
fluid motion. Finally, wear a hat or spray on a protective-veil before
walking out into the sun, for UVA rays can be incredible damaging to
your hair.
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LIPS – Luscious, Red Pout
According to Nancy Etcoff, the author of Survival
of the Prettiest, full and red lips tell a man that even if a
potential mate is young, she is capable of reproduction. Evidently,
the surge of estrogen at puberty causes girls’ lips to swell
and flush, peaking at age 14. Around the same time the vaginal lips
mimic a similar change, becoming more receptive to intercourse. Finally,
when the vitality of youth fades, so does the color of a woman’s
pout.
Lesson Two: Ancient Egyptian women
wore lipstick to look young and attractive. Follow suit and make lip
tints a staple of your make up-routine. But before applying color, coat
your pout with a rich balm and after leaving it on for 5 minutes, brush
off the dead skin with a clean toothbrush. This will get rid of dry unsightly
flakes and plump up your lips by circulating the blood. Also ingenious
products like DuWop and Lip Venom can instantly trigger
a kissable bee-stung look. The ingredients in these products’ formulations
such as cinnamon, ginger, and wintergreen achieve amazing results sans
invasive surgical procedures.
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BODY – Curvaceous Silhouette
“Other signals [of a woman’s] reproductive
capacity are her big breasts and the small waist line that accentuates
her hips, demonstrating that she can carry a child,” Gonzales writes.
Indeed, it is no secret that men drool at the first sight of a voluptuous
woman with curves. In fact, researchers have discovered that a women
with an hour-glass figure is twice as likely to become pregnant compared
to other body types.
Lesson Three: To sculpt your body, start
by eating healthy and exercising regularly. Fitness routines focusing
on the abdominal area will help get rid of belly fat and love-handles
that render the body shapeless. But for instant results put on
a pair of high heels, which will arch the back and emphasize your curves.
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