The Downside of Hotness

Published September 2011

While I'll readily admit to a large number of personality flaws (character building flaws, I hasten to add), the one thing I am not is shallow. Even though I enjoy the companionship of relatively good looking individuals on a regular basis (lucky me), I've often believed that while visually great first impressions may be important, there'd better be a sound personality behind those looks.

Growing up looking the way that I did, it wasn't easy being fat as a toddler who then morphed into an awkward, gangly pre-teen. This spate of biological angst lasted a few more years until I discovered sports. Life was good as a jock for the most part and stayed with me for a large majority of my early to mid 20s. Admittedly I allowed myself to 'develop' in the girth area as I started hitting work and the bars harder and the gym less. I blame no one but myself. And my propensity towards happy hour.

I have long accepted that I will never be a ravishing beauty. My looks are passable at best. If pressed, some would describe me as 'cute', but they are the minority. I have skin that breaks out if you even look at it wrong, a ridiculous amount of body hair which I do battle with on a regular basis (I blame my ethnicity. And my dad's genes), deep set eyes which are so laden with baggage I look like a stoned raccoon and I have a nose. Not just any nose, I have a snout. You'd have to see it to believe it. But all things considered, I'd like to think that I've been able to use whatever few advantages I have to my benefit in a variety of ways. Having a disturbing sense of humour is a great way to get people to remember you. 

Drinking them under the table might be another too.

With all the less-than-desirable physical qualities I possess, one would imagine that I have a difficult time meeting people but it's not that hard. You just have to let your personality (if you actually do have one. You'd be surprised at how many people this applies to) do the talking for you. And I know it seems as though natural selection will always win out – superior physical attributes and genetics ensure a great head start in life. We've been inundated with images and findings that good looking people are treated better in life and end up making more money in the long run. Until recently I often believed that looks would get you far in life, and resigned myself to an adulthood spent in abject loneliness, with a bottle of soju for company.

This morning I came across an article that made me want to back the truck up. Everything I believed while staring depressingly into a mirror wasn't true after all.

Being gorgeous isn't always a good thing and I snorted with joy at the realization of this. A paper by University California, Santa Barbara in 2009 studied the mating patterns of fruit flies. True you may not necessarily be of the insect species but it might interest you to learn that male flies found certain female flies too attractive to mate with – hence, these winged hotties were at a biological disadvantage because of what the male flies perceived to be too attractive and this interfered with the female's ability to function biologically, normally.

The biologists at UC Santa Barbara are quoted as stating that “among fruit flies, too much male attention directed toward attractive females leads to smaller families and, ultimately, to a reduced rate of population-wide adaptive evolution.”

Even if we were to loosely apply this formulae to humans of the hot variety, this does make a little sense if you think about it. And I'm using my hundreds of hours spent being a barfly (the puns, the puns), observing people around me. Attractive women will almost always get more than their fair share of male attention. Whether or not it's attention that is wanted or required is a different matter altogether. The point is they'll get it. The second point to realize is that said attention may or may not always come from an ideal future mate. Actually, scratch that. 9 times out of 10 it never comes from an ideal mate. The UCSB paper further explains that the female flies are “disproportionately courted and harassed by males attempting to obtain matings”. Sounds like a typical night out at almost every club I can think of, complete with drunken suitors bursting at the seams with what can only be described as male bravado messily paired with Dutch courage. It's never a pretty sight as they zero in on the hotties, convinced of their stellar moves and lightning smooth abilities.

While this is all highly entertaining for me, most times I'm not sure if I should sit back and enjoy the show, or pity the poor fools. And with the onslaught of wannabe Alphas, the nice guys – the ones that would probably make for the best mates – have a harder time even coming within earshot of the hotties, sometimes due to intimidation at someone's physical attractiveness, most times due to the fact that the object of affection is probably already surrounded by more aggressive suitors.

So what is my summation apart from the fact that good looking women get taken down a little peg in an almost pointless study? Hotties have problems just like the rest of us after all. The flipside here is that life might be the teensiest bit fair after all. In the meantime I'll just sit and wait for my lunch to be served, observing the sexual stereotype of the overweight, balding, rich old dude at the table next to me fawning over a pretty young thing coquettishly playing with her food. Perhaps some things don't change after all.

Colours, Scents & Ions

Published November 2009

Human behaviour can be affected by a number of factors beyond our control. Ions, scent and colours seem to play a part in our demeanour, mannerisms and health. There have long been debates on the accuracy of these claims but it is relatively safe to say that there is some semblance of truth in findings by researchers studying the following points.

THE ROLE OF COLOURS

It has been stated that colours, in the most primitive context, are able to induce a response as they inspire and affect moods. My favourite base colour is red which is said to represent fire, excitement, love and to a degree, passion and a sense of danger. A study showed that establishments serving alcohol would be better off avoiding red interiors as some aspects of the behaviour habits listed earlier could become amplified.

Blue tends to give off the feeling of time slowing down, which would be unsuitable in an environment such as a school – the understanding being that children tend to have a short attention span and an already extended sense of time. However, research has shown that a blue room is perceived to be cooler by several degrees in relation to a red one.

Colours for clothing choices are another interesting observation. During job interviews, brown and greens seem to inspire confidence while black and dark blue reflect a sense of authority. This could explain why a large number of police uniforms tend to be predominantly deep blue in tone. It should also be said that red is regarded as a ‘power’ colour.

In business, many multinationals give serious consideration towards the use of colour in their logos and marketing projects. The wrong set of colours could easily cause irritability, lack of productivity, and eventually lead to financial losses. Some industry leaders take colour choices so seriously that colour psychologists are hired to provide the right direction for upcoming campaigns.

THE SENSE OF SCENTS

Clean-smelling environments are said to promote more ethical behaviour, states Science Daily. A few squirts of an unobtrusive citrus-based air freshener showed results in places such as retail stores and organizations which rely on the enforcement of certain rules. This theorem proved to be fairly accurate in the boardroom as well with subjects involved in negotiations exhibiting a higher level of efficiency, achievement and good judgement.

Studies have shown that individuals in pleasant smelling rooms are not only more ethical but are quicker to volunteer for charitable acts. In brief, clean smells tend to encourage ‘clean’ behaviour.

Citrus isn’t the only scent that’s good for the nose. Leading luxury hotel chains around the world apply the use of certain scents in their lobbies in an effort to evoke a sense of calm and serenity as soon as guests walk in. In short, they provide a complete and immediate atmosphere that doesn’t rely on the sense of sight alone. Green tea, lavender, ylang-ylang and vanilla appear to be popular soothing favourites.

When I asked friends about their favourite scents were, many smiled while confirming that the aroma of rain reminded them of their childhoods. Cut grass was also mentioned, as were distinctively feminine perfumes worn by mothers. It has to be said that the correlation between happy memories and comforting scents do go hand in hand.

IONS – GOOD & BAD

Ever wonder why the air smells and feels good after a downpour? It’s all those negative ions that you’re breathing in and a storm is nature’s way of stirring them up for you. Negative ions are molecules in the air that increase our levels of serotonin once they reach our bloodstream. Serotonin is a mood chemical that reduces stress, depression and anxiety. Negative ions are present at beaches, by rivers and waterfalls and in the mountains; places that many associate with feelings of relaxation. Think Zen and you’re on the right track. These are areas that are fully supercharged with negative ions.

The next time you’re by the beach, notice the pounding surf. That action causes negative ions to circulate by the tens of thousands thereby exposing you to the good stuff. This would probably help to explain why thousands of holiday-makers choose to vacation by the sea each year.

Negative ions work as a natural vitamin for the body by protecting against germs in the air and also help to combat low energy and a lack of concentration by increasing oxygen to the brain. Many liken them to a natural antidepressant as well as helping to sharpen mental function and reduce fatigue. Those in need of a quick negative ion fix should turn their showers on and sit in their bathrooms for a few minutes. As funny as this may sound, the running water is a negative ion generator and will get you sorted in no time.

Positive ions are prevalent wherever there are warm winds present – California’s Santa Ana winds are a great example. Air-conditioners, computer monitors, heat and humidity are just a few factors that contribute to positive ion production so something as simple as getting a little fresh air will help when you feel your energy levels dipping – a particularly useful tip for those of us stuck in offices all day long. Overexposure to positive ions under certain weather conditions may cause a number of health issues, namely asthma attacks, headaches, limb swelling and heart palpitations to name a few.

Sources: sciencedaily.com/independant.co.uk/serendip.brynmawr.edu/Porter and Mikellides, 1976/time.com/medicinenet.com 

Smell And Taste Hedonics

 Smell And Taste Hedonics - Published January 2008

You are no longer only what you eat, but what you smell too. For the past 3 weeks I have been reading as much as possible on neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Alan Hirsch. Neurological director and founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago for over 25 years, Dr. Hirsch has dedicated his medical career to focusing on the treatment of smell and taste related disorders and such. The author of over 100 articles on said topics for various well respected medical journals, he has also written 6 books on the subject.

Dr. Hirsch and his team have complied breakthrough research on the direct correlation between weight loss and scent with test subjects reporting healthy levels of decreased body mass over a period of 6 months ."The urge to eat too much is governed not by the stomach - as most people believe - but by a specific portion of the brain called the satiety center. Once you understand how taste and smell affect this center, you can satisfy it by sniffing certain scents whenever you feel the urge to overeat," he writes. Dubbed "the Magellan of the nasal passages" by talk show goddess Oprah (surname not required), Dr Hirsch has some interesting, quirky and original data to offer. A well respected individual in his field, he has appeared on The Oprah Show, CNN, 20/20 and Good Morning America to name a few.

States Dr. Hirsch, "90% of taste is actually smell." A basic and obvious approach to scent is our first instinct to smells. A person who smells 'good' to us will subconsciously make a positive impression and the same would apply to someone with bad body odor - we would respond negatively to them. Smells can also revive cherished memories from past experiences and is emotionally evocative such as the scent of crayons for those among us who colored with them in kindergarten.

A light, floral smell tends to improve our ability to learn while the scent of green apples is said to help those who are suffering from bouts of claustrophobia by making a room appear bigger than it actually is. Scented oils and candles with a peppermint smell trigger a sense of fullness after meals.

According to conclusions based on the measuring of blood flow to reproductive areas, men respond sexually to the smell of cinnamon, pumpkin and lavender. Women react very strongly to the smell of black licorice candy, cucumber and ylang ylang but are put off by the scent of cherries and charcoaled grilled meat. So this is probably why barbecues so often end up being a male dominated arena. Fragrances are the quickest way to alter moods. Dr. Hirsch's findings shed new light on so many factors regarding olfactory stimuli but he has also devoted a large portion of time to the simplistics of taste.

Were you aware that your preferences for food speak volumes about your personality? Dr. Hirsch says that our choices can give insight into human behavior and conducted a thorough, detailed study on this in his book "What Flavor Is Your Personality?" A good indication would be to look at what our favorite flavor of ice-cream indicates.

Vanilla Personality : Colorful, at times impulsive, likes to take risks, gregarious, tends to live a hectic life with an overly filled schedule. Easily suggestible, expressive, enjoys close relationship with others, idealistic, sets high goals, a private person, sets high expectations for oneself, most comfortable in a close secure relationship.

Strawberry Personality: : Content to be a follower working behind the scenes. Likes being part of a team.

Coffee Personality : Lively, dramatic, seductive and flirtatious and lives life with gusto. Prefers to live in the moment rather than think about the future.

Chocolate Chip Personality : Generous, a visionary, competitive, a conqueror,accomplished, someone who is on the top,charming in a social situations, enjoys being catered to, a go getter, ambitious, competent, intolerant of defeat, always a winner.

Rocky Road Personality : Charming and engaging in social situations, but driven at work. Can lose temper over life's inconveniences, particularly waiting in line.

The flavor of chocolate itself and the behavior traits associated with it are almost impossible to determine due to the fact that it is ridiculously popular. However once it is broken down into casual specifics, milk chocolate eaters are contemplative and quiet as opposed to dark chocolate gourmands who are extroverted and live louder.

In his other book "What's Your Food Sign?", Dr. Hirsch writes that the food preferences of a couple are enough to indicate as to whether they will be in it for the long term, or if it's an incompatible mess. With reference to the classic taste sensations, a sweet tooth means that you live for the moment while a hankering for anything sour indicates that you are loyal and will stay together with your loved one. Lovers of spicy food are thrill seekers who like being in control and will end a relationship quickly while salt fanatics are introverts who will always try to avoid confrontation.

In a research paper "Snack Food Hedonics And Personality", research points to the following :

        

* Potato-chip lovers are "ambitious, successful high achievers who enjoy the trimmings of their success."

* Tortilla-chip eaters are "humanitarians who are often distressed by inequities and injustices of society."

* Pretzel people are trend-conscious. They "seek novelty" and are "lively, enthusiastic and fun to be with!"

* Cheese-curls adherents are "formal, conscientious and always proper."

* Meat-snack types tend to be "gregarious, generous to a fault" and male. They sacrifice their own comfort to please others.

* Cracker snackers are "contemplative and thoughtful"; they base decisions on "logic rather than emotions." Dr. Hirsch predicts that "those who prefer crackers may easily find themselves romantically involved in an Internet relationship."

These preferences for snack food should not be confused with food cravings which usually indicate a change in the mood state.At different times in the menstrual cycle for example, women crave chocolate especially when they feel mildly dysphoric or restless.

Interesting to note that pizza eaters tend to be perfectionists and even topping choices can tell us a lot. Those who prefer risqué and unconventional toppings like onion and pineapple for example, lean towards being aggressive, achievement oriented, highly competitive and are natural leaders.

Pepperoni enthusiasts are said to be procrastinators who are irritable and argumentative. And the pure meat topping lovers are extroverts who enjoy being the center of attention as well as indulging in healthy bouts of seduction. They also tend to be aware of trends and are fashionable.

Pie connoisseurs who had multiple vegetable topping are loyal, dependable, value friendship and work best in a group dynamic.

Eaters who enjoy buffalo wings are keepers in the romance department. Fruit fans are open minded and optimistic. Coffee drinkers are ambitious yet responsible while black tea imbibers tend to enjoy being homebodies and appreciate serenity. Green tea devotees on the other hand tend to be outgoing and flirtatious. Vanilla patrons gravitate towards other vanilla patrons. The same rings true for potato chip aficionados.

In a widely published study of his, Dr Hirsch addressed the topic "Effects Of Garlic Bread And Family Interactions". The results were interesting to say the least. "Smelling and eating garlic bread decreased the number of negative interactions between family members," the report says, and "the number of pleasant interactions increased." Dr Hirsch reached the conclusion that: "Serving garlic bread at dinner enhanced the quality of family interactions. This has potential application in promoting and maintaining shared family experiences, thus stabilizing the family unit, and also may have utility as an adjunct to family therapy." Research showed that the scent of the garlic bread reduced the percentage of negative interactions by 22.7% and increased the number of pleasant interactions by 7.4%.

While these underlying preferences towards smells and tastes may initially appear a little rudimentary, it would be unrealistic to simply chalk everything up to genetics and fluff. The corollary conclusions that were done under strictly controlled environments, do happen to point towards behavior and particular patterns that would make it, without due consideration, difficult to simply thumb one's nose at. Pun fully intended.

The Chemicals Between Us

The Chemicals Between Us - Published December 2007

Love is truly an original emotion indeed. Philosophers indicate that the biggest human desire is simply to love and be loved. There are many different facets to love - platonic, familial, and altruic love, just to name a few. Then there's romantic love. And that particular aspect alone makes love the deadliest four letter word that comes to mind in my humble opinion. One is allowed an incredulous response if I may go so far as to suggest that being in love can be interpreted as a form of cruel and unusual punishment. But jokes aside I do however have an immense respect for the sentiment. Think of the things that have been done in history out of this particular type of love. The infamous but ill-fated pairing of Cleopatra and Marc Anthony who wed in secret and had designs on the Roman Empire. Marc Anthony however fell on his own sword after receiving false information of Cleopatra's death. She in turn left her fate to the bite of an asp. Paris, the young price of Troy and Helen who's face is said to have launched a thousand ship. Shah Jahan Bahadur and his impassioned tribute of the Taj Mahal to his late wife Mumtaz Mahal.

No other theme in life has had more songs, art or literature dedicated to it. Many an enlightened person has stated that there is a fine line between love and madness. The concept of soul-mates has been carefully considered since the beginning of time and who isn't familiar with Shakesphere's tale of star-crossed lovers Romeo And Juliet? As Hugh Grant mused in a movie not too long ago, "Love, actually, is all around."
But what happens to us when we first meet the object of our affection? That initial rush of attraction is usually nothing more than bodily biochemistry. Eye contact and body language are all related to science.

We tend to make more eye contact with visuals that we find pleasing. This is especially true in individuals that we become attracted to. Our pupils tend to dialate to indicate interest or excitement. Studies have shown that we tend to be attracted to prospective mates who's pupils dialate in return when eye contact is made. A group of men were shown two photographs of the same woman and were asked to select which picture they preferred. The photos were exactly the same with one minor adjustment. The woman's pupils had been slightly enlarged in one of them - and this was the one that was selected as a clear favorite.

It was then with great interest that I read this article on the BBC science and nature site :   "New York psychologist, Professor Arthur Arun, has been studying the dynamics of what happens when people fall in love. He has shown that the simple act of staring into each other's eyes has a powerful impact.
He asked two complete strangers to reveal to each other intimate details about their lives. This carried on for an hour and a half. The two strangers were then made to stare into each others eyes without talking for four minutes. Afterwards many of his couples confessed to feeling deeply attracted to their opposite number and two of his subjects even married afterwards."

The display of body language is an art all onto itself. Men stand straighter and chests are puffed out for the strong alpha male effect. Women tend to play with their hair and draw attention to their lips and necks. Body language communicates over 50% of what we are trying to get across. Less than 40% is from our voice and tone of speaking alone and a tiny 7% is of what we are actually saying. This is why you'll probably know if you fancy someone anywhere from 90 seconds to 4 minutes of your first encounter.

Both sexes will also mirror and copy each other's behavior to a certain degree. This strongly suggests that we like people who remind us of ourselves or whom we regard as being on the same level as us.
There is also something known as the eyebrow flash when we become attracted to someone. It happens at the speed of one fifth of a second so you're not to blame if you've never noticed it. All quite subconscious, this. Another telltale sign of sexual attraction is to simply note where one's body is leaning or pointing towards. Arms, feet and toes all indicate towards a person we find attractive and while we may not be looking directly at or conversing with them, that body language does all the communicating. Playing hard to get is probably not the best idea and if it used to be part of your game plan then perhaps you should nix that. Research suggest that playing hard to get doesn't usually work. However, there is a strong theory to show that we tend to become attracted to individuals who are hard to get for everyone else, but easy for us to get. An exclusive deal, in a manner of speaking.
Men tend to be drawn to the classic hour-glass shape of a woman's body with a waist to hip ratio of 0.7 as this seems to imply good fertility and reproductive health and both sexes lean towards preferences for partners with symmetrical facial features.

Chemically speaking, that gooey "in love" feeling is easy to explain. Most people tend to need less sleep and food and are generally happier. The following neurotransmitters are reported to be prevalent in individuals at this particular stage as they introduce a feeling of euphoria and infatuation, namely :

Dopamine - Also activated by cocaine and nicotine


Norepine - Alternatively known as Adrenaline, which gets the heart pumping and the pulse racing


Serotonin - An elevated level of this is responsible for mood changes in the brain. It causes the 'love high' and can actually lead to moments of insanity. Reduced Serotonin levels can also lead to depression. Nervous yet?



Not to be left out, pheromones are also a hotly debated topic. Pheromones are generally odorless chemicals released by our bodies and detected by the Vomeronasal Organ in the nose (or VNO). Pheromones are also one of the reasons why women who spend a fair amount of time together will find their menstrual cycles synchronizing, something otherwise known as The McClintock Effect. Some researchers argue that the presence of pheromones in humans is pointless and unimportant to attracting a mate, as our noses are nowhere near as sensitive as those of animals. Others state that the VNO is indeed capable of picking up pheromones from sexually compatible individuals. Research on pheromones do indicate a slight increased level of arousal for both men and women when odors of potentially suitable mates are introduced. There has been a large amount of hypothesizing as far as this is issue is concerned so it would be difficult to give a concise answer on how truly effective pheromones are.
There are three identified phases of love. The first physical response is 'lust'. The second phase in falling in love is called 'attraction'. The third is the emotional commitment, required to make relationships last. This is 'attachment'. Teenagers for example spend more time in the 'attraction' part of the dynamic as opposed to adults who move on to 'attachment'. This could explain for the lack of duration in teenage relationships.Brain activity during this period is similar to having consumed large amounts of chocolate.

Being in a strong state of infatuation and love probably means that you are full to the brim with chemicals like serotonin for example. This sometimes makes for some interesting, if not out-of-the-ordinary, wacky behavior. Obsessive calling, compulsive gift-giving and even jealousy can be expected to be the norm. From happiness to sadness to anger to happiness again, these are all calling cards linked to the primitive brain and everything seems to smack of irrationality. Certain experts even liken the desire to be in love to be as powerful as an addiction to drugs for some. Newly smitten lovers often idealize their mate, magnifying their virtues while tolerating and ignoring their flaws explains Ellen Berscheid, a leading researcher on the psychology of love.This gives rise to that cringe-worthy phrase, 'Love is blind'.

And then there is the distinct possibility of a break-up. Not a pleasant situation to ponder on but it happens. A report in the New York Times states that 'in a series of studies, researchers have found that, among other processes, new love involves psychologically internalizing a lover, absorbing elements of the other person's opinions, hobbies, expressions, character, as well as sharing one's own.To lose all that, all at once, while still in love, plays havoc with the emotional, cognitive and deeper reward-driven areas of the brain. But the heightened activity in these areas inevitably settles down. And the circuits in the brain related to passion remain intact, the researchers say - intact and capable in time of flaring to life with someone new.'


I suppose it's all well and good to try and understand what happens to individuals in love and why we behave the way we do. But perhaps it should not be necessary to question or quantify what is surely the most exhilarating and breath-taking emotion known to humans. Maybe somethings shouldn't have to be explained. "What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil." Nietzsche said that.