Via what mechanism does wholesome appearance and apple-cheekedness correlate with a disinclination to commit murder? For example, does a murderous disposition drain the blood from one’s face? Or does having a cute smile prevent people from treating the person in such a way as to engender a murderous disposition from without? I wouldn’t be exactly astonished to find a real, strong correlation between looking creepy and being dangerous. But I’d like to know how it works.
Think about it in evolutionary terms. Roughly speaking, taking the action of attempting to kill someone is risky. An attractive female body is pretty much a guaranteed win for the genes concerned, so it’s pointless taking risks. [Note: I just made this up, it might be wrong, but definitely look for an evo-psych explanation]
This explanation also accounts for the lower violent crime rate amongst women, since women are, from a gene’s point of view, a low risk strategy, whereas violence is a risky business: you might win, but then again, you might die.
It would also predict, other things equal, lower crime rates amongst physically attractive men.
Via what mechanism does wholesome appearance and apple-cheekedness correlate with a disinclination to commit murder? For example, does a murderous disposition drain the blood from one’s face? Or does having a cute smile prevent people from treating the person in such a way as to engender a murderous disposition from without? I wouldn’t be exactly astonished to find a real, strong correlation between looking creepy and being dangerous. But I’d like to know how it works.
Think about it in evolutionary terms. Roughly speaking, taking the action of attempting to kill someone is risky. An attractive female body is pretty much a guaranteed win for the genes concerned, so it’s pointless taking risks. [Note: I just made this up, it might be wrong, but definitely look for an evo-psych explanation]
This explanation also accounts for the lower violent crime rate amongst women, since women are, from a gene’s point of view, a low risk strategy, whereas violence is a risky business: you might win, but then again, you might die.
It would also predict, other things equal, lower crime rates amongst physically attractive men.