Brain Post: Why Do Women Prefer Musicians?

All guys know that women prefer musicians.  All girls know it, too.  A new study from the University of Sussex (Menstrual cycle phase alters women’s sexual preferences for composers of more complex music) is now telling us that there’s science behind the ladies being crazy for rock stars.

This study shows that women in their most fertile phases (ie ovulation) are more attracted to men who can create complex music.  The study is saying that women believe that men with powerful musical talent carry better genes than guys who can’t play instruments nor sing.

This University of Sussex study used 1,500 women with an average age of 28.  None of these women were breastfeeding nor pregnant nor using hormonal contraception nor in a committed relationship.

The women studied were only attracted to men who could perform more complex musical feats as short-term sexual partners when the chance of getting pregnant was highest.  Without knowing it, they wanted to have these guys babies, and roll.

The same results did not result from visual art.

Two-alternative forced-choice experiments revealed that woman only preferred composers of more complex music as short-term sexual partners when conception risk was highest. No preferences were displayed when women chose which composer they would prefer as a long-term partner in a committed relationship, and control experiments failed to reveal an effect of conception risk on women’s preferences for visual artists. These results suggest that women may acquire genetic benefits for offspring by selecting musicians able to create more complex music as sexual partners, and provide compelling support for Darwin’s assertion ‘that musical notes and rhythm were first acquired by the male or female progenitors of mankind for the sake of charming the opposite sex’. – Benjamin Charlton

The researchers think this behavior could be directly tied to our evolution and to one of Darwin’s theories.  Charles Darwin had a theory that the primary function of music is to aid sexual courtship.

“The ability to create complex music could be indicative of advanced cognitive abilities.” –

“Consequently, women may acquire genetic benefits for offspring by selecting musicians able to create more complex music as sexual partners.” – Dr. Charlton