Alternative Dating Sites and Cyber Sexual Selection

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Posted by: SexMaster, on 11/21/2009 , in category "Dating and Relationships"
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Abstract: In these 'special interest' dating sites no one cares about your hobbies, star signs and personality. Rather, hot matches are made primarily on looks, or genes. But this is about more than just novel matchmakers. It's about that innate force common to all sexually-reproducing species (that is, not amoeba, bacteria and BNP members): sexual selection.

Many people say that looks don't matter to them, it's only personality that counts. Many people are also less than completely honest. Now, there is a site that caters to people who take a looks-only based approach to dating: beautifulpeople.com. Unfortunately for some of those people, they must also be beautiful to have an account. Anyone who wants to sign up must first apply by submitting a photo for other members of the opposite sex to judge. To earn a profile, you must be voted in. Being Scandinavian or Brazilian helps. If you get voted off the pretty island, or are not game enough to apply, it's possible to browse the site as a guest.

The site says it “provides the ideal platform to... stay in touch with the people you care about.” This may be somewhat difficult to achieve, unless your family and closest friends are all pretty enough to be voted in as well. And seeing that some people are mortified by their parents' Facebook comments, we doubt there'd be many who would use a dating site to communicate with Ma and Pa, especially knowing that their parents only joined because they were voted as sexy by the same people who also voted them in.

We believe that things like intelligence and humour do contribute to one's attractiveness (Brad Pitt as the ditzy Chad on Burn After Reading was the least sexy we've ever seen him). But looks are commonly the first impression made upon a potential mate and do play a part in sexual selection. Beautifulpeople.com claims to eliminate that first hurdle to finding a sexual partner.

Analyzing sexual selection more than skin-deep are the dating sites scientificmatch.com and sense2love.com. A member of either of these sites can have a genetic analysis done (by a cheek swab) to enable the site to find genetically appropriate matches for them. The idea behind this form of match-making is proven science: people are more likely to be attracted to, and compatible with, someone who is genetically different. It's a way we have evolved to avoid incest. The famous t-shirt experiment demonstrated this well, when women were asked to sniff sweaty t-shirts that had been worn by men. The sniffers then rated the t-shirts by the sexiness of the sweat smell (without knowing anything about the wearers). The sexiest-rated t-shirts were those that were worn by men with immune systems different, and complimentary, to the sniffer's immune system. Scientificmatch.com are honest about the exceptions to this rule, and those are that the theory (formally called MHC or Major histocompatibility complex) is unlikely to work for people who were adopted as a baby, or for women who take contraceptive pills. For those who were adopted in infancy, this is because people prefer the smell of their parents and 'nest-mates' (as shown in studies with mice). This is how one perceives the difference between a potential mate's genes and their own. It makes sense because the majority of people are brought up with their biological families, who do share genes. For women who take contraceptive pills, the t-shirt effect was reversed. Taking the pill makes women's bodies act as if they are pregnant: ovulation is inhibited, and the women's appetites increase. The theory is that women innately prefer to be around family for support when they are about to give birth. So contraceptive pill users are more attracted to the smell of immune systems similar to their own.

Further biological forces behind lust, romantic love and attachment are explained by the anthropologist Helen Fisher in this TED video (approximately 23 minutes):

At least, with either site, you avoid unintentionally chatting up your ugly second cousin.

For more info on the t-shirt experiment, click here.