The scene is a classic in romance: the hero, smitten with the heroine's charms, presents her with a bouquet of flowers.
Ah yes, flowers. Every woman likes to receive them--I know I do. They're pretty, they smell nice, and they mean the presenter has been thinking of you.
But why do flowers figure in courtship? According to sociologists Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa, authors of Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters, there may be a genetic basis to the behavior. Genes' survival depends on passing themselves to the next generation. A woman needs to know if a man possesses the resources to support their children. A man has to proclaim he is a good provider. Voila, flowers.
Pretty as they are, flowers have no survival value. You can't eat them, wear them or save them for the future. When a m
an presents a woman with flowers, he shows he possesses sufficient possessions to spend valuable resources on something nonessential. The behavior also demonstrates his generosity. He is willing to part with his hard-earned money to buy those worthless flowers.
But then, we are more than our genes. I like daffodils and pink roses. My husband buys me pink roses all year long. Now, in February, the first cut daffodils are arriving here in
Which brings us to our Happily Ever After. And I do enjoy those daffodils.
Thank you all,
Linda
Linda Banche
Regency romance--most with humor, some with fantasy, and occasionally a paranormal
Lady of the Stars--A legend spanning time, and the man and woman caught in it--Regency time travel, available from The Wild Rose Press
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4 comments:
Nice post, Linda. I had to come read it when you mentioned daffodils. We have them growing wild here in East Texas. I'll put a picture of them up on my blog later so you can see them. The sides of the roads are blanketed with yellow in places. Sometimes I have to stop and just look. :-)
It was neat to get the history behind giving flowers. Never thought of it, but it makes sense.
Thanks,
Oh, lots of daffodils, wonderful. As far as I'm concerned, there can never be too many daffodils. I can't wait to see your picture.
Thanks for coming over.
Super blog, Linda! Perfect for Valentine's and the coming spring. I agree with you and Maryann about daffodils. I have some lovely wild daffs in my garden and I love to see them.
Your husband sounds wonderful! Pink roses, all year round.... sigh....
Hi Lindsay, I have daffs in my garden, too, but it will be a while until they come up. And pink roses, too. And, yes, I'm happy with my husband.
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