Wow man this is so ironic. I was thinking about the same thing. I even asked a girl at Subway that because I was bored. I just start up asked her. "Can I ask you a question? How do you define attraction and how do you know your attracted? We then got on topics like we you were talking about. I believe attraction can be taught.... but how would you describe someone being attracted to older ladies, or a certain race. There has to be some hardwiring in the brain that comes from past experiences when we were younger. Like me for instance, I love asian women and I am Caucasian. I can't describe it, whether it be what one of my friends calls the exotic taste. But at the same time you can look in a maxim or playboy and see ... how shall I put this, the "norm" of Society and how today generation sees beauty. You can look at these pics and be like, wow shes good looking. So in that sense I believe it can be taught. But there has to be something deeper. I do not know much of the brain or how most people think, so don't take anything I say as fact
.I just asked my good friend (who is a girl) your question.
ME:Is WHO we are attracted to a choice? Is it taught?
HER:choice for me, cause I have always had differnet taste in guys than anyone I know pretty much
ME:Its a choice for you?
HER:well its not taught to me, its natural selection
ME:well how do you naturally select? I mean do they have to move a certain way... look a certain way? Is it all physical?
HER:no, its all things, but usually your instantly attracted to persons looks, then once you get to know them, if you like the person they are, then usually you fall for them
ME:a persons looks? Do they have to attract you... or just get your attention. If I walked into a bar with a big fuzzy hat and pilot googles would that attract you to me?
HER:no
ME:Why not? Because it sounds like your saying the only people you meet are guys your attracted to ... so your missing out on all the others who have way better personalities then just looks
HER:cause Im attracted to skater/snowboarder/punk types more, I think **** (her ex) was the most prepiest guy Ive dated ever, but I knewhim for a year and it kinda just happened, cause it wasnt **** being real hot that attracted me to him, it was who he was
She had to go back to work, but thats a slight insight on what a typical female mind is like. It really doesn't comply that much to what I have learned though... so maybe its what she wants to believe.