- Sexy son hypothesis
The sexy son hypothesis is a concept from
evolutionary biology , proposed byP. J. Weatherhead andR. J. Robertson in1979 . [ Weatherhead, P. J., and R. J. Robertson. 1979. Offspring quality and the polygyny threshold: 'The sexy son hypothesis'. "American Naturalist " 113:201-208.] It posits that afemale animal's optimal choice among potentialfather s is a male whose genes will produce maleoffspring with the best chance ofreproductive success . In particular, the sexy son hypothesis implies that a potential mate's capacity as a caregiver or any other direct benefits the male can offer the female (eg. nuptial gifts, good territory) are irrelevant to his value as potential father of the female's offspring.The sexy son hypothesis has been suggested as the origin of some aspects of
human sexual behavior . In particular, it has been shown that human females are more attracted to traditionally masculine men ("cads") during the most fertile times of theirmenstrual cycle s, and more attracted to relatively feminine men ("dads") during the remainder of the cycle. However, the methodology of these claims are disputed. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/376321.stm BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Women's choice of men goes in cycles] ] These observations have led to the conclusion thatinfidelity is a natural occurrence in women, andevolution arily advantageous, on the grounds that it will enable them to secure both the best genes and the best caregiver for their offspring. [ [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17619174?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum NCBI "Sexy son" model] ] [ [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2197213 Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate] .]References
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