on flies.
BussÆs work is based on traditional sociobiological and evolutionary psychology lines, which means that he seeks to create a model for understanding the psychological framework and motivations for human behavior (in this case in the area of mating and love) that is based on Darwinian principles. Selecting a mate is the area of human behavior (and this of course applies to all species) in which evolutionary pressures should be most evident, as it is in the selection of a mate that the chance for the ôrightö genes to get together occurs. While other arenas of human behavior (such as the creation of art, for example, or the way people plant ornamental gardens) may be relatively sheltered from the effects of evolutionary pressures by ôcultureö (that great force conveniently set up in debates in opposition to biology, although in fact of course the two are linked in complex and iterative ways), the choice of a mate should be governed by evolutionary pressures. This is certainly BussÆs perspective, and he certainly has some hard evidence to support it. However, as is true of most sociobiological research, Buss tends to ignore or minimize those areas of human behavior that his theory cannot easily explain.
While BussÆs research provides one perspective (and a great deal of data) from which to try to understand human behavior, Sharon Brehm in Intimate Relationships (McGraw-Hill, 1992) offers a different perspective. In fact, her book offer a variety of perspectives, being intended as a broad introduction to a number of issues about human relationships. While Buss is clearly interested in convincing us that his evolutionary psychology perspective is the correct one, Brehm seems more interested in proffering a variety of points of view and allowing us to decide which perspective best helps explain the world to us.
For example, in terms of attracting a mate, Buss provides this explanation:
Knowing what you desire in a...