What these people always miss is that there's a HUGE difference between selecting a date and selecting a mate! In my footloose-and-fancy-free days, I went out with plenty of guys who I would never have considered as long-term partners, let alone potential husband material. Sometimes the frog is good company for a while.
Yes, possibly related to how the evolutionary requirements for the sexes to follow different strategies have been mostly overtaken by modern contraception. Without the risk of pregnancy as a sort of forced commitment, it's much more practical for females to be less selective and try out far more candidates before settling on a long-term mate (if ever).
The new behaviour can't have evolved in a genetic sense yet of course, but I'd think it's gone into the culture already, and adds to all the other confusions boys and girls have about each other. E.g. boys used to think girls having sex meant they were committing, but now it doesn't have that reproductive significance it can come over as bewildering teasing.
Sometimes it's tough being an intelligent species with instincts mostly inherited from fish and reptiles, plus television.
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Date: 2009-06-16 05:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-16 06:46 pm (UTC)The new behaviour can't have evolved in a genetic sense yet of course, but I'd think it's gone into the culture already, and adds to all the other confusions boys and girls have about each other. E.g. boys used to think girls having sex meant they were committing, but now it doesn't have that reproductive significance it can come over as bewildering teasing.
Sometimes it's tough being an intelligent species with instincts mostly inherited from fish and reptiles, plus television.