Preferences For Physical Attractiveness Research Articles

Female physical attractiveness in Britain and Malaysia: A cross-cultural study

Two purported cues to perceived female physical attractiveness are body mass index (BMI) and body shape as measured by the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). This study examined the relative contribution of both cues in several culturally socio-economically distinct populations. Six hundred and eighty-two participants from Britain and Malaysia were asked to rate a set of images of real women with known BMI and WHR. The results showed that BMI is the primary determinant of female physical attractiveness, whereas WHR failed to emerge as a significant predictor. The results also showed that there were significant differences in preferences for physical attractiveness along a gradient of socio-economic development, with urban participants preferring images of women with significantly lower BMIs than their rural counterparts. The findings are discussed in terms of evolutionary psychological explanations of mate selection, and sociocultural theory, which emphasises the learning of preferences for body sizes in social and cultural contexts.

Context‐specific mate choice criteria: Women's trade‐offs in the contexts of long‐term and extra‐pair mateships

AbstractWomen's mate choice criteria were examined experimentally in the contexts of long‐term and extra‐pair mateship scenarios. In long‐term mateships, women may benefit by pairing with males who provide material resources and assistance in child rearing. In contrast, in extra‐pair mateships, women may benefit in other ways, with such benefits outweighing the potential costs imposed by a primary mate who discovers the relationship. One benefit, or evolutionary function, of extra‐pair mateships may be to replace a primary mate, in which case mate preferences should look similar across long‐term and extra‐pair contexts. However, another function of extra‐pair mateships may be to obtain high quality gametes (Le., “good genes”), in which case women should be differentially attracted to cues of heritable phenotypic quality, such as physical attractiveness. By using detailed verbal and pictorial descriptions of men and requiring participants to trade off physical attractiveness for good character (i.e., being a good cooperator and parent), it was possible to determine whether women's criteria for partners varied across experimental contexts. Findings suggest that extra‐pair mateships may have served the evolutionary function of obtaining “good genes,” because attractiveness was more important in extra‐pair mateships to the detriment of good character. This effect was maintained even when characteristics of the female participants (age, parity, marital experience) were covaried. In addition, the preference for physical attractiveness was specific to the sexual context; it did not generalize, in a second experiment, to choices among short‐term male coworkers.

The biological meaning of preferences on the human mate market

Factors, which universally influence mate choice decisions, are: age, physical appearance, and resources. Different evidence of the biological relevance of these three factors on the human mate market is presented. The sexspecific preferences for partner.s age reflect such values as Fisherian reproductive potential and fecundity for females and life expectancy related to the length of further time of paternal investment for males. Physical attractiveness is analyzed as a marker of female.s age, and in the case of both sexes as a marker of hormone level, heterozygosity and therefore immunocompetence. Because attractiveness connotes genetic quality of a prospective partner and indicates higher fitness for offspring, it is not an arbitrary trait. Resources of males are discussed as being important for females because they assure good paternal investment and therefore higher reproductive success. Human flexibility in age and physical attractiveness preferences is also examined in relation to ecological conditions. The evidence presented here indicates that the factors influencing human mate choice decisions can be honest, biologically relevant cues of reproductive value of a prospective partner.

Sexual selection and physical attractiveness

Sexual selection processes have received much attention in recent years, attention reflected in interest in human mate preferences. Among these mate preferences are preferences for physical attractiveness. Preferences in and of themselves, however, do not fully explain the nature of the relationships that individuals attain. A tacit negotiation process underlies relationship formation and maintenance. The notion that preferences for physical attractiveness evolved under parasite-driven "good genes" sexual selection leads to predictions about the nature of trade-offs that individuals make between mates' physical attractiveness and investment potential. These predictions and relevant data are explored, with a primary emphasis on women's preferences for men's qualities. In addition, further implications of trade-offs are examined, most notably (a) the impact of environmental variations on the nature of mating and (b) some effects of trade-offs on infidelity and male attempts to control women.

Sex Differences in Physical Attractiveness Preferences

Summary The present study investigated the validity of stereotyped beliefs about sex differences in preferences for opposite sex coloration. The likes and dislikes of 482 female and 549 male Caucasian college students for eye color, hair color, and complexion color of the opposite sex were investigated by means of a sexual selection questionnaire. Results indicated sex differences in both likes and dislikes for all three features. Males indicated somewhat greater preference for lighter female coloration, while females indicated somewhat greater preference for darker male coloration. These results were discussed in terms of the “kernel of truth” hypothesis of stereotyping, and the possible relationship to earlier research on semantic meanings of color and gender words. Special attention was paid to the tremendous aversion of both sexes to redheads, and to the possible implications of the study for understanding the predominance of black male/white female couplings in black-white interracial marriage in con...