Does a primitive part of our brains make us less interested in mates who lose fights?

[The Straight Story]

Female members of one fish species show strong responses in a primitive part of her brain when she watches her chosen male lose in a fight. Humans might also possess this overwhelming evolutionary imperative to find the toughest, most combat-ready mates.

The African cichlid fish has a particular part of its brain that fires up when the female has chosen a male as its preferred mate. If that chosen male then later gets into a fight with another male, a more ancient part of the brain fires up, sending strong signals of anxiety to the rest of the brain. In the fish, this newfound concern is generally enough to make the female find a new mate, and a more subtle form of this may well go on in human brains as well.
...

"It is the same as if a woman were dating a boxer and saw her potential mate get the crap beat out of him really badly. She may not consciously say to herself, 'Oh, I'm not attracted to this guy anymore because he's a loser,' but her feelings might change anyhow."

Her colleague Russ Fernald says the team is fairly sure that these responses occur not just in the fish but humans and other animals as well. These brain areas are found in all vertebrates, he says, and they all act in more or less the same way.

Desjardins says humans could have this response to actions other than simply being knocked out. More complex or indirect forms of losing a fight, like say losing a game of pickup basketball or even getting passed up for a promotion at work, could also trigger this anxiety response. And although a female doubting her defeated male is the one with the most evolutionary background in the rest of the animal kingdom, it's perfectly possible all other possible combinations of potential mates could have this reaction - those just aren't as well understood yet.

http://io9.com/5699826/does-a-primitive-part-of-our-brains-make-us-less-interested-in-mates-who-lose-fights

[H2O Man]

1. Years ago,

on the day that he was challenging Muhammad Ali for the heabyweight title, Chuck Wepner told his wife, "Tonight, you will be sleeping with the world's heavyweight champion!"

After Ali knocked him out, Wepner was recovering in his dressing room. His wife came in, and he told her that he was sorry he had lost. "Oh well," she said, "at least I get to sleep with Ali tonight."

[geckosfeet]

2. cute

[Sal Minella]

6. Actually the punchline should probably be:

"That's okay," she said. "Ali's probably better in bed than you are, too."

I'm here 'til Thursday. Try the veal.

(Working as a manuscript editor warps one for life.)

[Tom_Foolery]

11. Well, at least he inspired Stallone to write Rocky.

[H2O Man]

12. Right.

He was/is a character. One of the boxers that I trainer & managed fought on a card Wepner headlined. That was back in the day when people weighed in on the day of the fight. We were in the same dressing room with Wepner then, and that night. He had an impressive sense of humor.

I didn't think it was funny when he got arrested a few years back for forging Ali's autograph on photos for sale. But there are some shady people in the sport.

[SoCalDem]

3. Lizard brain is all about survival of the species

If the male of the species is "expected" to provide protection, the offspring of the "baddest" is likely to survive long enough to breed.. The "wimpy" ones' offspring is likely to be "lunch"...

[WingDinger]

4. We tried to get past that. With arranged marriage. But, in this country

it is ROMANTIC LOVE, or lizard brain. And as soon as the chemicals stop flowing, it is time to play musical chairs.

[rfranklin]

5. Arranged marriages have been about power and property...

The dowry of goats is about property. The marriage of princes and princesses is about power, and ultimately property.

[LiberalLoner]

7. I know I'm a very small minority, but...

I actually have come to think arranged marriages might be better for stability in a society than our western way.

At the very least, I think young people marrying would be well advised to listen to their parents, relatives and friends when it comes to a potential mate. Too many young people end up marrying sociopathic jerks (I sure did) and maybe that wouldn't have happened if someone else had picked....

[Sal Minella]

9. The arranged marriage is a social structure for the financial benefit

of the families involved, and there's no basis for believing that the "arranged husband" is always the father of the offspring borne by the "arranged wife."

If powerful, triumphant men weren't sexually attractive to women of breeding age, politicians wouldn't have women swarming all over them. Personally I would jump in the sack with Elliot Spitzer at the drop of a cufflink, if I were anywhere near young and beautiful enough to interest him at all.

And if my arranged husband said, "Honey, little Buddy looks a lot like Elliot Spitzer," I'd say, "Yes, isn't that a strange coincidence?"

[rug]

8. No. Michelle is still in love.

[Sal Minella]

10. ? Michelle who ? . . . ? What Michelle ? n/t

[rug]

13. This Michelle.

[Sal Minella]

14. Okay. I don't know what you're on

but I don't want any, thanks.