Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, 35131, Padova, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 3;8(1):5574. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23784-7.
In several species, mate choice is influenced by parental features through sexual imprinting, but in humans evidence is scarce and open to alternative explanations. We examined whether daughters' preference for mates with light vs dark eyes is affected by the eye colour of parents. In an online study, over one thousand women rated the attractiveness of men as potential partners for either a long- or a short-term relationship. Each male face was shown twice, with light (blue or green) and with dark (brown or dark brown) eyes. Having a light-eyed father increased the preference for light-eyed men in both relationship contexts. Having light eyes increased this preference too, but only when men were regarded as potential long-term companions. Asymmetrically, in real life, father's eye colour was the only predictor of partner's eye colour; own colour was irrelevant. Mother's eye colour never mattered, affecting neither preferences nor real-life choices. The effect of paternal eye colour was modulated by the quality of the relationship between father and daughter, suggesting (flexible) sexual imprinting rather than a simple inheritance of maternal preferences. Our data provide evidence that in humans, as in birds and sheep, visual experience of parental features shapes later sexual preferences.
在一些物种中，亲代特征通过性印记影响配偶选择，但在人类中，证据稀缺且存在其他解释。我们研究了女儿对浅色眼睛和深色眼睛男性伴侣的偏好是否受父母眼睛颜色的影响。在一项在线研究中，超过 1000 名女性对男性作为长期或短期伴侣的吸引力进行了评分。每个男性面孔出现两次，分别是浅色（蓝色或绿色）眼睛和深色（棕色或深棕色）眼睛。有浅色眼睛的父亲增加了女儿对浅色眼睛男性的偏好，无论是在长期关系还是短期关系中。男性有浅色眼睛也会增加这种偏好，但仅当男性被视为潜在的长期伴侣时才会如此。不对称的是，在现实生活中，父亲的眼睛颜色是伴侣眼睛颜色的唯一预测因素；自己的颜色无关紧要。母亲的眼睛颜色从未有过影响，既不会影响偏好，也不会影响现实生活中的选择。父亲眼睛颜色的影响受到父女关系质量的调节，这表明（灵活的）性印记而不是对母亲偏好的简单遗传。我们的数据提供了证据表明，在人类中，就像在鸟类和绵羊中一样，对亲代特征的视觉体验塑造了后来的性偏好。
