Celebrity: Ornamental Mind Theory Flashcards
What do humans possess?
Love of novelty (neophilia), ancestors would have has to amuse each other = creative mate displays: music, art, humour
What does Miller say?
2000: sexual selection might favour minds prone to inventing fantasies. Musicians, artists and actors display these talents, we are drawn to them
What is Fisher’s runaway sexual selection theory?
females will choose to mate based on characteristics they find attractive, male trait and preference of female passed on, becomes fixed in gene pool: increased male trait and females attracted to it, male trait may have no survival value
What genetic finding supports the oriental mind theory?
Shiraishi 2006: genetic variant for enzyme MAOA correlated with novelty seeking tendencies, if neophilia is evolved there would have to be differences in genes which code for relevant brain material
Who found the importance of neophilia?
Duck 1982: boredom often cited as reason for relationship end (not entertained enough)
Who found that creative individuals are more successful in relationships?
Nettle and Clegg 2006: serious artists and poets had significantly more sexual partners over lifetime than those who weren’t poets/artists/not serious enough
What is the support for the fact that females tend to be the choosier sex?
importance of neophilia in mate selection and Holt and Lewis 2009: over 2/3 of celeb magazine readers female
What is the limitation of the OMT?
some people attracted to celebrities with no particular talent
What is the strength of both evolutionary theories?
better at explaining the universal phenomenon of celebrity attraction
