Male physical competition, not attraction, was central in winning mates among human ancestors

Scientists thought that people's mating success was mainly determined by attractiveness; but for men, it appears that physical competition among males was more important. Humans are similar to many of the apes in using male competition to determine access to mates, the winning male choosing the women of his dreams. On average men are not all that much bigger than women, only about 15% larger, but the average guy is stronger than 99.9% of women. Men have 60% more muscle mass than women. Other traits indicate physical prowess was the major force in human mate competition through history. Men are far more aggressive than women, and approximately 30% of men in small-scale foraging communities die violently.