9.3 Signaling to Potential Mates

Part of the process of attracting mates involves signals. These may be related to physical traits (like the peacock’s tail), communications (the bird’s song), and/or behavior (driving a motorcycle, dancing).

Honest signals are those that suggest adaptive and reproductive fitness. The peacock’s tail is not merely attractive to look at, it suggests to peahens that the male is adept at escaping predators and remaining unharmed. This proficiency is something peahens seek in a mate because it means her chicks are more likely to be successful, too. Honest signals in humans may include feats of physical fitness (being athletic, for example) or demonstrations of intellect (writing poetry, reading books).

Of course, we cannot have honest signals without dishonest signals. These signals are efforts to pretend to have traits that are reproductively successful or attractive to potential mates. In other words, dishonest signals “fake it” until you make it. Dishonest signals in humans may include attempts to overemphasize certain traits (e.g., female bra stuffing) or to demonstrate nonexistence means (e.g., renting an expensive car for a first date). It is possible for dishonest signals to become honest signals with sufficient investment in one’s situation/environment, but this usually occurs on a timeframe outside the interactions between potential mates.

Costly signaling is an honest signal that suggests the individual (male or female) has the surplus energy to invest in an expensive trait. The peacock’s tail, while an honest signal of fitness, is also an incredibly costly signal. In addition to avoiding predators, the peacock’s tail requires quality calories, proper preening, and avoidance of other, nonpredatory injuries, like breaking a feather shaft on a fence.

One of the most common costly signals in human mating strategies is risk taking behavior. While females are increasingly involved in risk taking behavior, this is evolutionarily more common among young adult men. Risk taking behavior is a way to signal prowess and maturity. Let’s take skateboarding as an example. One study showed that young men are more cautious at the skate park when there are no women present. However, after two attractive young women sat down on a bench at the park, the frequency of risky tricks and more difficult stunts increased dramatically. This suggests a “show off” tendency when potential mates are present.

It has also been suggested that dancing evolved as a way to signal interest to potential mates. After all, the birds and the bees do it. Why not humans?

Watch the following video as AsapSCIENCE uses evolutionary theory to ask, “Will dancing get you laid?”