0:00:00.334,0:00:02.633 - [Narrator] Decide when[br]to pair up and with whom 0:00:02.633,0:00:05.907 is a riddle that evolutionary[br]psychologist Douglas Kenrick 0:00:05.907,0:00:09.297 has tried to solve for decades. 0:00:09.297,0:00:11.596 - If we all just went for good genes, 0:00:11.596,0:00:15.288 everyone would be unhappy[br]if the guys didn't end up 0:00:15.288,0:00:17.517 you know with Jennifer Lopez 0:00:17.517,0:00:20.117 or some other fashion model, 0:00:20.117,0:00:21.487 they would just stop then. 0:00:21.487,0:00:24.436 And the women would stop if[br]they couldn't get Brad Pitt 0:00:24.436,0:00:26.828 or some extremely handsome guy. 0:00:26.828,0:00:29.498 In real life, people have to[br]match up with one another. 0:00:29.498,0:00:31.844 (intense music) 0:00:31.844,0:00:34.166 - [Narrator] How does this[br]matching up process work? 0:00:34.166,0:00:37.091 To find out, Dr. Kenrick gathered 10 men 0:00:37.091,0:00:39.460 and 10 women from a fairly average range 0:00:39.460,0:00:41.875 of physical attractiveness[br]and prepared to perform 0:00:41.875,0:00:45.520 a few experiments in[br]human social dynamics. 0:00:45.520,0:00:48.376 First he stripped away as[br]many differences as possible 0:00:48.376,0:00:50.443 between the guinea pigs by dressing them 0:00:50.443,0:00:53.943 in identical and sexually neutral outfits. 0:00:58.732,0:01:01.588 - Okay now you're gonna play[br]a sort of a mating game. 0:01:01.588,0:01:03.632 You all have a number as you can see. 0:01:03.632,0:01:04.723 You can't see your own number, 0:01:04.723,0:01:06.348 but you can see the[br]other peoples' numbers. 0:01:06.348,0:01:08.090 Offer your hands to someone, 0:01:08.090,0:01:11.271 and if they accept it,[br]then you've paired up 0:01:11.271,0:01:13.361 and you walk back to the back. 0:01:13.361,0:01:16.704 If the person does not accept your offer, 0:01:16.704,0:01:19.839 then you'd move on and[br]offer it to someone else. 0:01:19.839,0:01:22.579 Again the task being to try[br]to get the highest number 0:01:22.579,0:01:23.579 that you can 0:01:24.483,0:01:27.223 and realizing that you have[br]a number on your own head 0:01:27.223,0:01:30.427 that they are responding to as well. 0:01:30.427,0:01:34.027 (mysterious music) 0:01:34.027,0:01:35.861 - [Narrator] The numbers, drawn at random, 0:01:35.861,0:01:38.160 are meant to represent desirability. 0:01:38.160,0:01:41.039 One being least and 10 being most. 0:01:41.039,0:01:42.339 In the real world, 0:01:42.339,0:01:44.011 where most of us don't know exactly 0:01:44.011,0:01:45.683 how attractive we are, 0:01:45.683,0:01:48.771 we tend to aim high, trying to snare a 10. 0:01:48.771,0:01:51.302 Then gradually we work[br]our way down to someone 0:01:51.302,0:01:52.885 who will accept us. 0:02:00.033,0:02:02.401 - Some of the people are trying 0:02:02.401,0:02:04.863 and not getting paired. 0:02:04.863,0:02:06.929 The two people who are[br]fives have paired up 0:02:06.929,0:02:08.346 with one another. 0:02:24.251,0:02:26.945 It wasn't like the 10s perfectly matched 0:02:26.945,0:02:29.685 and the ones perfectly matched, 0:02:29.685,0:02:32.239 but you did get a correlation. 0:02:32.239,0:02:34.282 The people with the high numbers 0:02:34.282,0:02:36.535 were able to hold back[br]a little bit longer, 0:02:36.535,0:02:37.905 and they got more offers. 0:02:37.905,0:02:40.343 The people with the low[br]numbers didn't get any offers. 0:02:40.343,0:02:44.569 And that's sort of what[br]happens in a real mating pool. 0:02:44.569,0:02:46.450 - [Narrator] The experiment opens a window 0:02:46.450,0:02:49.120 into the mind of an[br]adolescent who is not yet 0:02:49.120,0:02:53.439 fully aware of how[br]attractive he or she is. 0:02:53.439,0:02:57.247 - Let's imagine teenagers[br]in a high school. 0:02:57.247,0:02:59.871 You've got a guy and a girl 0:02:59.871,0:03:01.450 who are both 10s. 0:03:01.450,0:03:03.029 Well what's gonna happen to[br]them is they're gonna get 0:03:03.029,0:03:05.606 a lot of offers from the opposite sex, 0:03:05.606,0:03:07.905 and they're eventually[br]gonna have some sense 0:03:07.905,0:03:10.947 that they have lots of more opportunities. 0:03:10.947,0:03:12.874 If you're a five or a six, 0:03:12.874,0:03:14.430 as most people are, 0:03:14.430,0:03:15.591 they'll let you know. 0:03:15.591,0:03:17.797 You'll get feedback basically. 0:03:17.797,0:03:19.933 - [Narrator] This is something[br]we all have to learn, 0:03:19.933,0:03:22.185 and it can be a painful process. 0:03:22.185,0:03:24.577 (mysterious music) 0:03:24.577,0:03:26.829 To glimpse a sped-up version[br]of this learning curve, 0:03:26.829,0:03:29.174 Dr. Kenrick put a microphone on the woman 0:03:29.174,0:03:31.961 who was ranked number three[br]and asked her to narrate 0:03:31.961,0:03:34.294 her mate selection strategy. 0:03:37.069,0:03:38.973 - I guess everyone's[br]gonna start off going to 0:03:38.973,0:03:40.473 the number 10 guy. 0:03:43.060,0:03:46.477 Three, one, four, 10, oh 10 is taken now. 0:03:48.215,0:03:51.953 Nobody will make eye contact with me. 0:03:51.953,0:03:53.787 I'm not really used to that. 0:03:53.787,0:03:56.342 I like that one, yeah. 0:03:56.342,0:03:59.709 But his number's too low, I can do better. 0:03:59.709,0:04:01.876 Let's see, one, no, seven. 0:04:03.354,0:04:05.212 I could, oh he's being paired off. 0:04:05.212,0:04:06.884 I have a feeling I have a very low number 0:04:06.884,0:04:09.600 because no one's coming[br]over to me at all right now. 0:04:09.600,0:04:11.806 Come on, two, no, 0:04:11.806,0:04:13.973 I can do better than that. 0:04:15.359,0:04:17.935 We're running out of numbers. 0:04:17.935,0:04:18.853 One, eight, 0:04:21.279,0:04:23.904 I guess this is all that's left. 0:04:23.904,0:04:25.904 Okay I'm stuck with two. 0:04:27.433,0:04:30.350 (mysterious music) 0:04:35.096,0:04:36.884 - [Narrator] After using random numbers, 0:04:36.884,0:04:39.252 Dr. Kenrick wanted to see[br]how things would turn out 0:04:39.252,0:04:41.806 if he let true physical attractiveness 0:04:41.806,0:04:43.826 drive mate selection. 0:04:43.826,0:04:45.498 When the volunteers first arrive, 0:04:45.498,0:04:48.238 before the men and women met face-to-face, 0:04:48.238,0:04:50.839 Kenrick had them rate each[br]others' physical appearance 0:04:50.839,0:04:52.743 on a scale of one to 10. 0:04:52.743,0:04:54.275 He pooled the numbers for each person 0:04:54.275,0:04:57.108 and came up with an attractiveness rating. 0:04:57.108,0:04:59.662 Now it's time for the test subjects to try 0:04:59.662,0:05:03.656 and reel in the most physically[br]attractive person they can. 0:05:03.656,0:05:06.073 (drum music) 0:05:08.672,0:05:10.878 - We are going to change[br]the rules a little bit. 0:05:10.878,0:05:13.084 And we're gonna begin by asking the ladies 0:05:13.084,0:05:15.751 to take your head stockings off. 0:05:23.184,0:05:26.156 Okay now if the guys would all remove 0:05:26.156,0:05:27.906 their head coverings. 0:05:30.104,0:05:32.612 Let your own preferences now 0:05:32.612,0:05:34.400 you know have their way, 0:05:34.400,0:05:36.907 and again, keeping in mind the last game, 0:05:36.907,0:05:38.556 try to get the person who you regard 0:05:38.556,0:05:42.712 as the highest attractiveness[br]in your opinion. 0:05:42.712,0:05:45.629 (mysterious music) 0:06:13.316,0:06:14.825 - [Narrator] Just as Kenrick expected, 0:06:14.825,0:06:17.078 each person found a partner[br]within a point or so 0:06:17.078,0:06:18.328 of themselves.