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An eye for beauty locks onto faces that show signs of health and fertility - just as one would predict if it had evolved to help the beholder find the fittest mate.
Steven Pinker
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that our perception of beauty is linked to traits that indicate health and fertility, which may have evolved to aid in mate selection.

Steven Pinker's quote explores the evolutionary roots of our concept of beauty, proposing that our attraction to certain physical traits is largely influenced by indicators of health and fertility. This perspective suggests that what we consider beautiful is not merely subjective, but rather tied to biological imperatives that help guide our choices in partners, leading to healthier offspring and continued survival of our traits.

Themes

BeautyEvolutionHealthFertilityAttraction

In practice

Example use cases

During a lecture on evolutionary psychology, one might use this quote to illustrate how human perceptions are shaped by biological factors.

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