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Abstract Hair color influences mate attraction in humans and understanding attraction has implications for the economics involved in fashion, marketing, and cosmetology. Biological and evolutionary psychology theories predict that individuals will be attracted to: 1) hair colors familiar or similar to them, such as their mom, dad, or their own hair color, 2) rare hair colors for their culture, 3) blonde hair because it represents youthfulness, or 4) the average hair color for the population. Past studies have been limited in their methodology with conflicting results. In this research, male and female hair color preferences in females were tested using a survey (N=1912). Background data on the participants were collected such as their own hair color, the hair color of their parents and significant others, and geographic region. Due to familiarity with hair colors present in different populations, geographic location was predicted to influence preference. Males and females both preferred brunette hair color, followed by blonde hair, and lastly red hair. Male choice of female hair color is consistent across geographic regions. Females were not consistent and varied their choice in hair color dependent on which geographic region they originated. Brunette hair color frequency appears to drive choice with stabilizing selection possibly influencing brunette frequency in populations.
Keywords Environmental influence, hair color, mate choice, similarity, stabilizing selection
Introduction
Most sexually reproducing individuals must expend energy and time in attracting a mate. Those individuals that are the most successful in attracting a mate will likely gain the most fruitful reproductive attempts, and thus be genetically prosperous in future generations (Darwin 1871). Possessing specific characteristics that attract mates are thus greatly beneficial; some species can even manipulate and control the expression and strength of these features (Ellis 1916). While some animals can regulate the expression of traits (i.e. cuttlefish, lizards) and alter their appearance, humans must manipulate their features through artificial methods (i.e. hair coloring, plastic surgery, lifting weights, etc.). The decision to alter these traits should, in theory, correspond to what is considered most attractive in the population. However, there is much variation across different taxa in what males and females deem "attractive" [i.e. bright colors of male birds attract females in Clark (2009), different claw coloration of blue crab females attracts males in Jivoff...