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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.

   

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Scientists agree that the animal within is stronger than reason. But who is to say the wild creature cannot be tamed with a little female wisdom? Follow these pointers and the panther of your dreams will soon be an adoring kitten vying for your attention.

 

 

 


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