partner - up serviceman be given to be more attractive and some theory have used this to suggest that evolution favors women who are attracted to other women ’s partners . Now a newfangled study drift doubts on this rendition , painting a more nuanced icon .
According to a paper published inScientific Reports , man do receive an “ attractiveness rise ” when they are in a family relationship , but so do nonfigurative works of art that have been rated favourably by others .
" woman in our study found military personnel ’s faces more attractive if other women had given that face high valuation . But the same goes for picture of abstract nontextual matter , " project leader Dr Kate Cross , from the University of St Andrews , enounce in astatement . " Women appear to imitate the married person preferences of other women , but this might only be because humans have a general tendency to be influenced by the opinions of others . ”
The conception that the squad investigated is called mate - choice copying . If a potential partner is pick out by someone else , they appear to be of higher quality than the always - alones ( this is not a technical condition ) . This has been watch over in several metal money of dame and Pisces the Fishes and it comes in handy for females trying to ensure they prefer the good possible partner for reproduction . Although it has previously been fence that this phenomenon also occurs in humans , inquiry has never straight investigated it .
The squad collected attractiveness ratings of pictures of men , men ’s hands , and abstract art from heterosexual women . Before and after , they were founder information about how the other player had voted .
The study was then repeated with the inclusion of gay woman and bisexual women and the results stayed the same , highlighting the fact that all womanhood deport in the same way , regardless of who they are attract to .
" Social influence affects every area of our lives , and this could admit spouse option , " added joint source Dr Sally Street , an assistant professor at Durham University . " But there is n’t , at the moment , percipient experimental evidence of a specialise fellow - selection copying mechanics in humans . "
So when it comes to judging how attractive a likely partner is , it seems it ’s always good to discuss it with a mathematical group . To quoteMean Girls : “ Well , I think , you would n’t buy a bird without asking your friends first if it look good on you . ”