Why do guys like to look at pictures more than women?

[DanP]

Men appraise women for their physical fitness as much as women appraise men for the power in providing material. However, these should not be considered exclusive appraisals but dominant.

It is indeed almost unbelievable what range of options you have when you posses status and access to significant resources compared to others in your social group. It's pretty much happy hour.

It also has an interesting side effect. Power and good looks seem to make men less likely to commit to a women and stay in a relationship for a significant period of time. It's the little devil in your mind telling to you "Well, she is great, but look at me, how cool am I, I can do better". I've also seen this happening with very beautiful women with a good developed mechanisms of self maintenance "Well, he is awesome, but I can get an even more awesome one".

This presents an interesting problem to be solved. Find the balance. Get someone "too good" for you, and chances are he will go. Go for someone "I can do better", and chances are you will go. I think it's such a beautiful problem which has to be solved by humans who enter a intimate relationship.

In this way, it is important for women to be attuned to the current perceptions of physical fitness often displayed as images of other women. And so women are as equally attracted to images of women as are me, but for different reasons. It is men who set these standards, and women who compare and take means to elevate themselves within these standards.

It's pretty much happy hour too for strong willed women or with very good genetics. At the rate obesity progresses in the western world, less and less women possesses the fitness and health indicators valued by men. It simply means even more options for them to choose high standard males, since those who did not managed to preserve their fitness are pretty much deprecating themselves by their own actions. Let's be honest, why would you choose someone who got fat and can't maintain her body ? Life is too short for things like this. ( It's not that fat women can't get a mate. Sure they can. But for the vast majority of them, access to higher leagues is sealed)

Equally, it is important for men to be atuned to the current perceptions of what constitues powerful men. These perceptions do not as often appear as images, but as oral and written messages.

I think yes, and this is pretty much dependent on reference hierarchy. We live in a very complex social world, with many different hierarchies. Status may mean different things in different hierarchies.