Science Finally Explains Why Intelligence Is So Darn Sexy To A Sapiosexual
If you find yourself attracted to intelligence – literally, sexually attracted- then congratulations, you can consider yourself a “sapiosexual.”
A sapiosexual is: a person who is sexually attracted to intelligence or the human mind before appearance. It’s an interesting and relatively new term, and it comes from the Latin root sapien, meaning wise or intelligent, and Latin sexualis, relating to the sexes.
You’re probably thinking, “don’t we all want to date someone with a bit of brains?” Of course, but sapiosexuals are different; they are wired to give less importance to the things once thought of as evolutionary attractive traits, like physical strength, or appealing genetic features.
“Those who are sapiosexual are those who are stimulated or challenged by the way another person thinks,” writes Diana M. Raab, Ph.D at Psychology Today. “They are basically in love with the mind. Sometimes, sapiosexual individuals have also been called “nymphobrainiacs,” or individuals who find it arousing to engage with the intellectual perspective of another person.”
Raab goes on to say, “As foreplay, the sapiosexual person may crave philosophical, political or psychological discussions because this turns [him or her] on.”
If you find yourself nodding your head in agreement saying “Yes, that’s me!” then there is good news- science is finally supporting what sapiosexuals have known all along. Intelligence is sexy.
Psychologists have found that men with the highest IQ are also the most virile.
Researchers from the University of Mexico analyzed the sperm of 400 men after putting them through intense mental testing. According to the results, they found that men who scored the highest on the intelligence tests also had the highest count of healthy sperm. However, those who scored lower tended to have fewer sperm, with the majority being unhealthy.
Evolutionary psychologist Professor Geoffrey Miller conducted the research and believes that sperm quality is directly related to brain quality. He said the two traits could have evolved together as a way to advertise good genes. “Traits such as language, humour, and intelligence evolved in both sexes, because they were sexually attractive to both sexes,” said Professor Miller.
Men are ranking intelligence higher that they used to.
In the case of heterosexual American men, intelligence has risen in the ranks of importance when it comes to attraction. The University of Iowa has conducted a study every year since 1939, which asks both men and women to rank 18 of their most desirable characteristics in a long-term mate.
In 1939, intelligence ranked 11th- and it 2009, it jumped to 4th, following “mutual attraction and love,” “dependable character,” and “emotional stability”.
As we grow and evolve as a society, we start to let go of the ignorant perceptions of our past. Or, we hope to.
While men reportedly say they want an intelligent woman, a study from the University of Buffalo, California Lutheran University, and the University of Texas found the results pointed in another direction. To sum up the study, 105 men were asked if they would like to date an intelligent woman, to which 86% said they would be comfortable with it. However, when presented with the opportunity, the participant’s attraction and enthusiasm vanished almost instantly.
One interesting point about this study is that the researchers asked the subjects throughout the survey how “masculine” they felt. Even though the participants were theoretically positive that dating a woman who was smarter wouldn’t make them feel less “manly,” when they met one in person, their “masculine” self-rating plummeted and they no longer wanted to date them.
Humour is a sign of intelligence, and a healthy brain.
Alastair Clarke, author of The Pattern Recognition Theory of Humour says, “Humour is not about comedy; it is about a fundamental cognitive function.”
Clarke says humour can be defined in terms of pattern recognition, or our ability to comprehend relationships between things and impose order on them. “An ability to recognise patterns instantly and unconsciously has proved a fundamental weapon in the cognitive arsenal of human beings.”
This ability of recognising patterns allows us to quickly understand our environment and function effectively within it. Language is based on patterns. And humour is based on language.
Alastair Clarke further explains: “The development of pattern recognition as displayed in humour could form the basis of humankind’s instinctive linguistic ability. Syntax and grammar function in fundamental patterns for which a child has an innate facility. All that differs from one individual to the next is the content of those patterns in terms of vocabulary.”
Are you a sapiosexual?
By Raven Fon
