History UsefulNotes / WestermarckEffect

In short, the Westermarck Effect holds that you're less likely to be attracted to someone of your preferred gender if you both grew up together. The Westermarck Effect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] {{shipping}} discussions where [[NotBloodSiblings step-siblings]] and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends]] are involved. Many close tribal and small village communities marry outside of the tribe or village, and many [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend childhood friends end up unlucky]] because of this. This would also explain why brother-sister incest was possible among Egyptian royals (where the girls were raised separately from the boys and didn't even meet until after puberty), while some European royal families such as the Valois faced extinction because the king and queen couldn't bear to touch each other -- not because they were that closely related, but because they'd been brought up together since early childhood and [[LikeBrotherAndSister thought of each other as siblings]]. This is also why, in some cultures, [[IncestStandardsAreRelative relations between people from the same creche, clan, or other close-knit social group are seen as incestuous]], even if no blood relation is present.

A later study (2009) by Eran Shor and Dalit Simchai noted that while there were few marriages between ''kibbutz'' children from the same peer group, they found that a significant number felt attracted to their co-rearer peers. Basically, ''kibbutz'' children rarely '''married''' each other, but they frequently had '''crushes''' on each other. Shor and Simchai concluded that the ''kibbutz'' system provides weak evidence for the existence of the Westermarck effect, and that social taboos and norms are necessary factors to consider.

Indeed, people are taught by religious, legal, and medical authorities that sexual relations with one's sibling are sinful, criminal, or a form of mental illness. Even if attraction is felt, it will probably be repressed, especially if the one experiencing it thinks it is one-sided.

In short, the Westermarck Effect holds that you're less likely to be attracted to someone of your preferred gender if you both grew up together. The Westermarck Effect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] {{shipping}} discussions where [[NotBloodSiblings step-siblings]] and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends]] are involved. Many close tribal and small village communities marry outside of the tribe or village, and many [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend childhood friends end up unlucky]] because of this. This would also explain why brother-sister incest was possible among Egyptian royals (where the girls were raised separately from the boys and didn't even meet until after puberty), while some European royal families such as the Valois faced extinction because the king and queen couldn't bear to touch each other--not because they were that closely related, but because they'd been brought up together since early childhood and [[LikeBrotherAndSister thought of each other as siblings]].

In short, the Westermarck Effect holds that you're less likely to be attracted to someone of your preferred gender if you both grew up together. The Westermarck Effect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] {{shipping}} discussions where [[BrotherSisterIncest siblings]] and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends]] are involved. Many close tribal and small village communities marry outside of the tribe or village, and many [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend childhood friends end up unlucky]] because of this. This would also explain why brother-sister incest was possible among Egyptian royals (where the girls were raised separately from the boys and didn't even meet until after puberty), while some European royal families such as the Valois faced extinction because the king and queen couldn't bear to touch each other--not because they were that closely related, but because they'd been brought up together since early childhood and [[LikeBrotherAndSister thought of each other as siblings]].

For further reading, see Website/TheOtherWiki's article on this [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westermarck_effect here]].

While it remains commonly cited in pop-culture, ScienceMarchesOn, and these days its validity is contested. It's often mentioned alongside the (likewise poorly evidenced) idea of Genetic Sexual Attraction.

While it remains commonly cited in pop-culture, ScienceMarchesOn, and these days its validity is contested. It's often mentioned alongside the (likewise poorly evidenced) idea of UsefulNotes/GeneticSexualAttraction.

While it remains commonly cited in pop-culture, ScienceMarchesOn, and these days its validity is contested.

For further reading, see Wiki/TheOtherWiki's article on this [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westermarck_effect here]].

The most famous case supporting the Westermarck effect was the Israeli collective farms ('kibbutzim''), in which children were raised communally in peer groups based on age rather than biological relation. One study showed that out of 3,000 marriages that occurred within the ''kibbutz'' system, only 14 were between children from the same peer group. These 14 were seen as the exception that proved the rule, since none of them had been reared together during the first 6 years of life.

While it remains popularly cited, ScienceMarchesOn, and these days its validity is contested.

The Westermarck Effect is a hypothesized psychological response of people who are raised together in a family unit from a very early age, which desensitizes them to sexual attraction towards said person. It is popularly cited, but poorly evidenced.

However, it is important to remember that the Westermarck Effect is a ''hypothesis'', and a contested one at that--'''not''' a proven phenomenon.

The most famous case supporting the Westermarck effect was the Israeli collective farms (kibbutzim), in which children were raised communally in peer groups based on age rather than biological relation. One study showed that out of 3,000 marriages that occurred within the kibbutz system, only 14 were between children from the same peer group. These 14 were seen as the exception that proved the rule, since none of them had been reared together during the first 6 years of life.

A later study by Eran Shor and Dalit Simchai noted that while there were few marriages between kibbutz children from the same peer group, they found that a significant number felt attracted to their co-rearer peers. Basically, kibbutz children rarely ''married'' each other, but they frequently had ''crushes'' on each other. Shor and Simchai concluded that the kibbutz system provides weak evidence for the existence of the Westermarck effect, and that social taboos and norms are necessary factors to consider. Indeed, people are taught by religious, legal, and medical authorities that sexual relations with one's sibling are sinful, criminal, or a form of mental illness. Even if attraction is felt, it will probably be repressed, especially if the one experiencing it thinks it is one-sided.

The Westermarck Effect is a hypothesized psychological response of people who are raised together in a family unit from a very early age, which desensitizes them to sexual attraction towards said person.

However, it is important to remember that the Westermarck Effect is a ''hypothesis'', and a contested one at that--'''not''' a proven phenomena.

In short, the Westermarck Effect holds that you're less likely to be attracted to someone of your preferred gender if you both grew up together. The Westermarck Effect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] {{shipping}} discussions where [[BrotherSisterIncest siblings]] and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends]] are involved. Many close tribal and small village communities marry outside of the tribe or village, and many [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend childhood friends end up unlucky]] because of this. This would also explain why brother-sister incest was possible among Egyptian royals (where the girls were raised separately from the boys and didn't even meet until after puberty), while some European royal families such as the Valois faced extinction because the king and queen couldn't bear to touch each other--not because they were that closely related, but because they'd been brought up together since early childhood and thought of each other as siblings.

However, it is important to not that the Westermarck Effect is a ''hypothesis'', and a contested one--'''not''' a proven phenomena.

In short, the Westermarck Effect holds that you're less likely to be attracted to someone of your preferred gender if you both grew up together. The Westermarck Effect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] {{shipping}} discussions where [[BrotherSisterIncest siblings]] and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends]] are involved.

In short, you're less likely to be attracted to someone of your preferred gender if you both grew up together. The Westermarck Effect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] [[{{Shipping}} shipping discussions]] where [[BrotherSisterIncest incest]], [[KissingCousins cousins]], and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends]] are involved. A form of reverse sexual imprinting, the Westermarck Effect serves to suppress inbreeding in humans, working in opposition to the theorized [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_sexual_attraction genetic sexual attraction]] phenomenon. The following factors are known to be involved:

* '''Proximity:''' The observed effect applies to children raised in close contact.
* '''Age:''' The critical period for reverse sexual imprinting ends by age 6 or 7.
* '''Age Difference:''' If more than eight years apart, the effect is [[PrecociousCrush greatly diminished for the younger participant]].
* '''Genetics:''' [[NotBloodSiblings Lack of blood relation]] makes no difference.
* '''Gender:''' Women and girls may be more sensitive to the effect [[AllMenArePerverts than men and boys]].

The Westermarck Effect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] [[{{Shipping}} shipping discussions]] where [[BrotherSisterIncest incest]], [[KissingCousins cousins]], and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends]] are involved. A form of reverse sexual imprinting, the Westermarck Effect serves to suppress inbreeding in humans, working in opposition to the theorized [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_sexual_attraction genetic sexual attraction]] phenomenon. The following factors are known to be involved:

For further reading, see [[TheOtherWiki The Other Wiki]]'s article on this [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westermarck_effect here]].

The WestermarckEffect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] [[{{Shipping}} shipping discussions]] where [[BrotherSisterIncest incest]], [[KissingCousins cousins]], and [[VictoriousChildhoodFriend childhood]] [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend friends]] are involved. A form of reverse sexual imprinting, the Westermarck Effect serves to suppress inbreeding in humans, working in opposition to the theorized [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_sexual_attraction genetic sexual attraction]] phenomenon. The following factors are known to be involved:

For further reading, see [[TheOtherWiki The Other Wiki]]'s article on this [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westermarck_effect here]]
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* Proximity: The observed effect applies to children raised in close contact.
* Age: The critical period for reverse sexual imprinting ends by age 6 or 7.
* Age Difference: If more than eight years apart, the effect is greatly diminished for the younger participant.
* Genetics: Lack of blood relation makes no difference.
* Gender: Women and girls may be more sensitive to the effect than men and boys.

* Proximity: The observed effect applies to children raised in close contact together.
* Age: The critical period for reverse sexual imprinting ends by age six or seven.
* Age Difference: If more than eight years apart, the effect is greatly diminished for the younger individual.

* Gender: Females may be more sensitive to the effect than males.

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<<|UsefulNotes|>>

The WestermarckEffect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] [[{{Shipping}} shipping discussions]] where [[BrotherSisterIncest incest]], [[KissingCousins cousins]], and [[VictoriousChildhoodFriend childhood]] [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend friends]] are involved. A form of reverse sexual imprinting, the Westermarck Effect serves to suppress inbreeding in humans, working in opposition to the theorized [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_sexual_attraction genetic sexual attraction]] phenomenon.

* Gender: Females are more sensitive to the effect than are males.

<<|UsefulNotes|>>

The WestermarckEffect is commonly brought up in the midst of [[strike:[[ShipToShipCombat shipping arguments]]]] [[{{Shipping}} shipping discussions]] where [[BrotherSisterIncest incest]], [[KissingCousins cousins]], and [[VictoriousChildhoodFriend childhood]] [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend friends]] are involved. A form of reverse sexual imprinting, the Westermarck Effect serves to suppress inbreeding in humans, working in opposition to the theorized [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_sexual_attraction genetic sexual attraction]] phenomenon.

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