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| Research article summary (published 30 Jan 2003): |
Masculine somatotype and hirsuteness as determinants of sexual attractiveness to women.
Full Abstract
Five questionnaire studies asked women to rate the attractiveness of outline drawings of male figures that varied in somatotype, body proportions, symmetry, and in distribution of trunk hair. In Study 1, back-posed figures of mesomorphic (muscular) somatotypes were rated as most attractive, followed by average, ectomorphic (slim), and endomorphic (heavily built) figures by both British and Sri Lankan women. In Study 2, computer morphing of somatotypes to produce an intergraded series resulted in a graded response in terms of perceived attractiveness which mirrored the findings of Study 1. In Study 3, back-posed figures were manipulated in order to change waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) and waist-to-shoulder ratios (WSR). A WHR of 0.8-0.9 and a WSR of 0.6 were rated as most attractive and these effects were more pronounced when modeling mesomorphic figures. In Study 4, symmetric figures of a mesomorphic somatotype were rated as less attractive than a normal (asymmetric) version of the same man. Study 5 showed that presence of trunk hair had a marked, positive effect upon women's ratings of attractiveness for both mesomorphic and endomorphic male figures. Women also judged figures with trunk hair as being older and they consistently rated endomorphic figures as being older than mesomorphs. These results are consistent with effects of sexual selection upon visual signals that advertise health, physical prowess, age, and underlying endocrine condition in the human male.
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Author information
Author/s: Dixson, Alan F (AF); Halliwell, Gayle (G); East, Rebecca (R); Wignarajah, Praveen (P); Anderson, Matthew J (MJ);
Affiliation: Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species, Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California 92112-0551, USA. adixson(-atsign-)sandiegozoo.org
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article
Journal: Archives of sexual behavior (Arch Sex Behav), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2003-Feb; vol 32 (issue 1) : pp 29-39
Dates: Created 2003/02/24; Completed 2003/05/23; Revised 2006/11/15;
PMID: 12597270, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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