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 for 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.
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 of the cut daffodils are arriving here in New England. He goes out of his way to find them for me. For as long as we've been together, he's brought me flowers. Why? We're married. He no longer has to prove anything. But he still brings me those flowers, and the specific flowers I like--because he wants me to be happy. Is love part of our genes, or beyond them? Do we care?
And I do enjoy those daffodils. Happy Valentine's Day.
Thank you all,
Linda
Linda Banche
Welcome to My World of Historical Hilarity!http://www.lindabanche.com/
Welcome to Lindsay's Romantics, where we post on all kinds of romance topics.
10 comments:
Hi Linda! You always have such interesting upbeat info and posts! I love your tagline too.
...Historical Hilarity! And it so fits your work. Very good.
Hi Linda, great post for Valentine's Day. I love flowers, roses and daffodils, of course. Actually, I'd rather have them potted than cut.
Super post, Linda. I love daffs and roses, too. How lovely of your hubby!
Hi Kaye, thank you on all counts. It took me a while to think up that Historical Hilarity.
Savanna, sometimes my husband brings home a pot of those tiny daffodils (Tete-a-tete). When they finally die down, we plant them beside the house.
Thanks, Lindsay. I can't see why anyone wouldn't like daffs and roses. And I tell my husband he's a keeper.
Linda, your husband sounds like a sweetheart! Daffodils are my favorite spring bulb...I planted hundreds of them this fall...I can't wait for spring to see them bloom.
The best gift I ever got from my hubby was a fig tree!
LINDA--I still like red roses. The first year we were married back in the late 50s, I worked, he worked and went to college so he could graduate and get a good job. We were as poor as Job's turkey, lived in one room with a bath and a counter that sufficed as the kitchen.
I mean,we...were...broke.We scrimped on every little thing, pinched pennys, no new clothes and a pair of pantyhose--only if I ruined my one pair.
But each month on the 21st, starting with our 1st month anniversary through 12th month, I picked him up at school, he drove, and he stopped by a florist's shop. In he went and came out with one red rose for me. I got 12 that year--an even dozen. I don't know what he did without to buy that one red rose each month.
See? What other flower could I love?
Celia
Hi, quite interesting, but I beg to differ, you can eat flowers eg; roses, nasturtiums, borage just to name a few.
Very interesting. The prettiest flowers I ever got I bought for myself. One of the many reasons I'm allergic to men. Lucky ladies, to have guys like that. Hang on tight.
Linda, what a sweet post! It really put you in the mood for love. hehe
I love roses of course, and my husband gives me red roses for Valentines Day so I have no complaints, but I adore lilacs. They are hard to grow in California, but we have a bush in the back and just watching it bloom makes me incredibably happy. Reminds me of my home where I grew up in New Hampshire.
Smiles
Steph
Hi Penny. Yes, my husband is a real sweetheart. Sounds like you'll have a whole field of daffs. I'd love that. And fig trees sound good. I've never seen one.
Well, Celia, I know what broke is, too. But some things are important, and you spend your money on them. Sounds like your husband considered those red roses important.
minki-moira, yes, some flowers are edible. But you have to know which ones, and most aren't.
Adelle, nothing wrong with buying flowers for yourself. But, true, I'm lucky and I'm grateful.
Thanks, Steph. I like lilacs, too. We have two bushes on the side of our house. I love their scent. The only bad thing is that they last only a short time.
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