Many people, especially many men, live in this delusion that women feel love. And unconditional love is even greater delusion.
Let us first describe what happens in nature, so we clearly understand what happens.
In nature, female doesnt feel love towards a male partner. In fact, in many species, male and female dont even spend time together much outside breeding.
And what can be observed by all experiments is that female doesnt have love or standards.
What would be love? Love would be if female was with one partner under all circumstances.
However, that does not happen.
Circumstances in the first place dictate which partner female will choose.
For example, a female lion doesnt unconditionally love a lion.
Her choice of a lion depends on what is available and what is preferable among available options.
For example, even the least preferable lion, as experiments showed, becomes preferable when he is the only option.
So woman's choice is not based on love, but comparison of available options for reproduction. this is why women choose some of worst of men when they become only option, because evolutionary trait which forces attention seeking and reproduction behavior means even the worst of men become desirable when they are the only option, because the only alternative is not reproducing at all and being lonely, which is worse from an evolutionary standpoint.
Woman's choice is made entirely based on seeking reproduction and comparing available options.
this is why women will often pretend to be unavailable or pretend to be not interested. this delay is because they are comparing available options.
Lion mating choice in the wild
Yes. In nature, female lions often choose mates from the males that are available at the time, and a male that was not previously preferred can become acceptable if he becomes the only or dominant option. But the process is influenced by several biological and social factors.
1. Lions live in prides controlled by a few males
A pride usually contains:
- Several lionesses
- 1–3 dominant males (sometimes a coalition of brothers)
These males gain control by fighting and defeating previous males. Once they control the pride, they become the primary mating partners for the females.
So the female's “choice set” is restricted to the males that currently control the pride.
2. Female lions still show preferences
When multiple males are present, lionesses often prefer males that show:
- Strength and dominance
- Large/dark mane (signals health and testosterone)
- Successful fighters
- Good territory control
These traits increase the chance that cubs will survive.
3. If only one male is available
If only one male controls the pride:
- Females will mate with him even if he wasn't previously preferred.
- Refusing indefinitely would mean not reproducing, which is worse from an evolutionary perspective.
So availability strongly shapes choice.
4. Timing also matters
Lionesses come into estrus (fertile period) only for a short time. During that period:
- They may mate dozens of times per day.
- If only one male is present, he becomes the automatic mating partner.
5. Male takeover changes everything
When a new male coalition takes over a pride:
- They often kill existing cubs (infanticide).
- This forces females back into fertility sooner.
- The females then mate with the new males, even though they were not previously part of the pride.
This shows how dominance and availability override earlier preference.
✅ Summary
Female lions do have preferences, but in the wild:
- Their choices are limited to the males currently controlling the pride.
- A male that was not attractive before can become the mating partner if he becomes the only or dominant available male.
So attraction in lions is partly preference, but strongly shaped by availability and power.