Given that we (humans) are not evolutionarily closely related to bees, why do we find flowers attractive?
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2$\begingroup$ Attractive to what sense, sight or smell? Quite apart from individual preferences, there are some which have repulsive odors (notably Rafflesia, which is said to smell like rotting meat: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia ), many others which have an inconspicuous appearance. Also note that many garden flowers have been selectively bred to be more attractive to humans than their wild progenitors. $\endgroup$– jamesqfJun 13, 2019 at 4:30
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$\begingroup$ I meant sight and, sometimes, smell. $\endgroup$– SiddharthaJun 13, 2019 at 4:34
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2 Answers
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Sure, flowers can be sign that the fruit is underway as @JonathanMoore said and viewing any trait as a result of selection is probably what the OP was waiting for. Thinking that if an organism produces a behaviour, then this behaviour must have been selected is wrong though.
The reality is that specific behaviours are affected by evolution of other behaviours and other traits as well as an by our environment (incl. social environment). It will be particularly difficult to hypothesize as for the different selection pressures that may have existed on a specific behaviour especially in animals with such high cognition as humans. Maybe we like flowers because we like colour contrast and maybe we like colour contrast because face with stronger colour contrast is more attractive because it is a sign of health. Maybe we like sunset because we like flowers. Maybe we like colour contrast because we like fresh fruits. Maybe, we like complex design because it makes us think about the possible complexity of shapes. Maybe we like complex shapes because we like to explore. Maybe we like simple design because we like clear skins. Maybe we like flowers because of the diversity of shapes. Maybe we like flowers because they are a sign of the end of the cold winter. Maybe we like flowers because we are being told that they are pretty things. Maybe we like flowers because it symbolizes abundance and reproduction. Anyone could formulate loads of hypotheses. Maybe we like flowers because we like any smell that is not the smell of something that is rotting. Maybe we like flowers because we like trees, leaves, mountains, rivers, lakes and pretty much anything else in our natural surrounding. Maybe we like flowers because flowers is a sign that there is not no pests in our garden or simply that the plant we are growing is healthy.
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$\begingroup$ Re "...any smell that is not the smell of something that is rotting", there's for instance Fritillaria imperialis en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_imperialis which, while it's a striking flower, smells rather like a skunk. Or some kinds of Iris which smell nice (to me) in moderation, but are rather sickening in quantity. $\endgroup$– jamesqfJun 13, 2019 at 17:07
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Flowers are a sign that fruit is on its way, so it would be advantageous for us to remember the place where we saw flowers.
