Why Do Humans Have Hair in Unexpected Places?

[kyle_soule]

First of all, I want to know why people have hair in general, warmth and protection come to mind, specifically on the head. I would also like to ask someone to address the weirdest place, IMHO, to have hair; that being pubic hair. I can't think of one good reason why males and females alike have pubic hair.


Thanx.

 

[enigma]

Probably for the same reason we have armpit hair: to reduce chafing.

 

[Monique]

Actually, very long ago in Biology class I heard that both hairtypes are hollow and there are a lot of glands in the skin, the hairs facilitate the evaporation of attractants for the other sexe.

 

[Sonty]

so nature is again defeated by technology. who uses soap anyway? why should we? without it we're more atractive.

 

[Monique]

Not quite right :P bacteria like the excretions from those glands and trife on it, their byproducts are smelly and overpower our own natural odors.

..I am not sure thought that humans still use those odors as attractant to the other sexe, we have been focussing more on visual input over the millenia.

 

[Jeebus]

Monique said:

Not quite right :P bacteria like the excretions from those glands and trife on it, their byproducts are smelly and overpower our own natural odors.

Thus why hairs are non-living material.

 

[kyle_soule]

Originally posted by Monique
Actually, very long ago in Biology class I heard that both hairtypes are hollow and there are a lot of glands in the skin, the hairs facilitate the evaporation of attractants for the other sexe.

So, as you seem to imply in your later post, this form of attraction have become obsolete. Why hasn't evolution removed this hair from us?

Also, why do humans have so much less hair then their earlier family?


I had heard a while ago that this hair 'captured' pheromones to attract others, my question to this is, why pubic hair? There seems to be more accessible places in which it would seem that its purpose would be better facilitated.

 

[Sonty]

yes, like the top of your nose, or your forehead. imagine getting close to a girl with the obvious intention to kiss her, then as you come closer and closer you fill each others pheromones being sent from exactly the right place. could you settle with just a kiss?

 

[kyle_soule]

Originally posted by Sonty
yes, like the top of your nose, or your forehead. imagine getting close to a girl with the obvious intention to kiss her, then as you come closer and closer you fill each others pheromones being sent from exactly the right place. could you settle with just a kiss?

As viewed in light of evolution, these positions would fullfil the purpose of the hair quite well

The question is not the absurdity of the position as much as it is the effectiveness. Of course 'pubic hair' on the 'forehead' would seem weird, but it would be effective and we would not see it as weird if it was how it was.

I think another aspect to be considered is clothing. We weren't not meant, naturally, to wear clothing. Pubic hair would be an obvious sign of maturity and physical readiness to have children. So perhaps we are assimilating the purpose of pubic hair altogether with our civilized society.