Final answer:
Cultural factors and regional standards of physical attractiveness contribute to the evolution of our physical appearance. People find different traits attractive, but there are some universally attractive features in both women and men. Attractiveness is also influenced by social traits such as warmth, affection, and social skills.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cultural factors also play a role in the evolution of our physical appearance. Some of our physical characteristics, like skin tone, height, or body morphology have been influenced by long-standing regional standards for physical attractiveness. This process is known as sexual selection. For thousands of years, standards of “beauty”, that are sometimes very local, even random fascinations, have lent themselves to regional evolutionary changes in body morphology that have contributed to human phenotypes.
Researchers have documented several characteristics that humans find attractive. First we look for friends and lovers who are physically attractive. People differ in what they consider attractive, and attractiveness is culturally influenced. Research, however, suggests that some universally attractive features in women include large eyes, high cheekbones, a narrow jaw line, a slender build, and a lower waist-to-hip ratio. For men, attractive traits include being tall, having broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. Both men and women with high levels of facial and body symmetry are generally considered more attractive than asymmetric individuals. Social traits that people find attractive in potential female mates include warmth, affection, and social skills; in males, the attractive traits include achievement, leadership qualities, and job skills. Although humans want mates who are physically attractive, this does not mean that we look for the most attractive person possible.