Visual cues to female physical attractiveness

Tovee, M. J., Maisey, D. S., Emery, J. L. and Cornelissen, P. L. (1999) Visual cues to female physical attractiveness. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 266 (1415). pp. 211-218. ISSN 0962-8452

Documents
28416 Tovee-et-al-1999.pdf

Request a copy
[img] PDF
28416 Tovee-et-al-1999.pdf - Whole Document
Restricted to Repository staff only

220kB
Item Type:Article
Item Status:Live Archive

Abstract

Evolutionary psychology suggests that a woman's sexual attractiveness is based on cues of health and reproductive potential. In recent years, research has focused on the ratio of the width of the waist to the width of the hips (the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). A low WHR (i.e. a curvaceous body) is believed to correspond to the optimal fat distribution for high fertility, and so this shape should be highly attractive. In this paper we present evidence that weight scaled for height (the body mass index (BMI)) is the primary determinant of sexual attractiveness rather than WHR. BMI is also strongly linked to health and reproductive potential. Furthermore, we show how covariation of apparent BMI and WHR in previous studies led to the overestimation of the importance of WHR in the perception of female attractiveness. Finally, we show how visual cues, such as the perimeter-area ratio (PAR), can provide an accurate and reliable index of an individual's BMI and could be used by an observer to differentiate between potential partners.

Keywords:body mass index, female beauty, mate selection, sexual attractiveness, waist-to-hip ratio, WHR, BMI
Subjects:C Biological Sciences > C800 Psychology
C Biological Sciences > C850 Cognitive Psychology
C Biological Sciences > C830 Experimental Psychology
C Biological Sciences > C880 Social Psychology
C Biological Sciences > C841 Health Psychology
C Biological Sciences > C840 Clinical Psychology
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Psychology
Related URLs:
ID Code:28416
Deposited On:23 Aug 2017 16:29

Repository Staff Only: item control page