Sexual selection: Rebels with a cause

Are risk takers sexually attractive? We know that human risk takers, at least, are — consider glamorous formula one racers, high rollers at the casino, and downhill skiers on the Hammerkahn. When rebellious Jimmy Dean played ‘chicken’ in the film Rebel Without a Cause, with cars being raced off a cliff edge, we were not surprised when he was the last to jump out and that he got the girl. Is this association of sex and risk a cultural oddity or something deeper, which we hold in common with the animal world?