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Wed 26 Nov, 2008 05:42 pm
Why do we have armpit hair?
Seriously. I can understand why we have all the other hair - a) to keep us warm, the important bits especially b) a little to do with sexual attraction, but why the hell to we have hair under our armpits?? Its an enclosed space so it has no problems with heat, and its not we go around baring our armpits to find partners.
Got any ideas?
Believe it or not ,it's for seduction purposes! The hair traps the sweat and the pheromones ,creating a smell ,to attract the opposite sex.. !
@aperson,
Ventilation, protection against friction... here's a guy making the case for it:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/lax/35274458.html
Hmm, you guys are giving different answers. Which one is it?
OMG I just read that link you provided, Robert, and I am LMAO (excuse my txt language). That was brilliantly written. I'm not sure of its validity to the armpit, however.
@aperson,
Quote:and its not we go around baring our armpits to find partners.
I have met ladies who have done that very thing. In fact, we had a barmaid who was unaware of how gorgeous her armpits were until we pointed it out to her.
After that we had our fill of the beauts. She even arranged for the pint glasses to be on the top shelf. And could she yawn.
@aperson,
That was hilarious, and worth anyone's time to read. Still, I go with the pheromone theory for armpits.
@aperson,
It's to promote airflow in areas of skin which would otherwise trap moisture and promote infection and fungal growth.
Primates without hair in areas where skin touches skin would be prone to developing abscesses from chafing and trapped moisture, resulting in disease and impaired health which would decrease the probability of reproduction.
@rosborne979,
Makes sense. I think it is also to do with pheromones, though.
There are probably 3 or 4 good 'reasons'. Nature would always double up than invent a new item.
It probably reduces friction.
It is an indicator of sexual maturity.
It traps sweat.
It most definitely distributes scent - the classic experiment involves capturing pheronomes in the armpit to cause a number of women to synchronise ovulation - perhaps this is a vector to 'transmit' them, our noses are a lot closer to the armpit than the crotch (except for you Gus)
@Robert Gentel,
Erm....I don't have any arse hair, and none of that happens to ME.
Mins are just weird.
And lots of women shave their armpit hair, with no such horrifying, albeit armpitty effects.
This topic is about human beans, not wimmins.
@aperson,
Quote:Makes sense. I think it is also to do with pheromones, though.
Quite possible. Lots of traits have multiple underlying selection factors. One of the Hallmarks of evolution is that often times things which were selected originally for one purpose, eventually take on new roles purely by chance.
An informative thread.
Now if I can figure out what all this tongue hair is for, I'll rest much easier.
I have not researched this, but I remember hearing that is was the sex thing. The hair transmits sexual stimulating odors, so those who had it were more successful in finding a mate to copulate with, thus were more successful in producing offspring. Over time this influenced the genetic pool.
Same explaination goes for pubic hair.
@hawkeye10,
Are you sure? I thought, at least in males, that pubic hair was to keep the factory nice and toasty.
@aperson,
Quote:. . .I thought, at least in males, that pubic hair was to keep the factory nice and toasty.
My take was the opposite. Hair increases the surface area upon which perspiration is exposed increasing the cooling effects of evaporation. Testicles function best at a few degrees cooler temperatures than the rest of the body to properly manufacture sperm. That's one of the reasons why they are external organs.
@Setanta,
Setanta wrote:
This topic is about human beans, not wimmins.
It sure ain't about DOGS.
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