Female waist-to-hip and male waist-to-shoulder ratios as determinants of romantic partner desirability

Abstract

This study examines the effects of body shape (women's waist-to-hip ratio and men's waist-to-shoulder ratio) on desirability of a potential romantic partner. In judging desirability, we expected male participants to place more emphasis on female body shape, whereas females would focus more on personality characteristics. Further, we expected that relationship type would moderate the extent to which physical characteristics were valued over personality. Specifically, physical characteristics were expected to be most valued in short-term sexual encounters when compared with long-term relationships. Two hundred and thirty-nine participants (134 females, 105 males; 86% Caucasian) rated the desirability of an opposite-sex target for a date, a one-time sexual encounter, and a serious relationship. All key hypotheses were supported by the data.

Why is low waist-to-chest ratio attractive in males? The mediating roles of perceived dominance, fitness, and protection ability

“…In contrast, other research in which body shape was manipulated found that muscularity, a variable closely related to WCR, was associated with perceived dominance (Frederick & Haselton, 2007). Although they did not directly explore dominance as a potential mediator of the relationship between WCR and attractiveness, Frederick and Haselton (2007) did find a similar pattern to Braun and Bryan's (2006) research. Specifically, women rated men described as "brawny," "built," or "toned" (i.e., low WCR) as both more dominant and sexual desirable, but less likely to be committed to a partner, than men described as "slender," "typical,"…”

“…Braun and Bryan (2006) found that the perceived dominance of men was related to the desire for a short-term, sexual relationship, but not a long-term relationship. However, they found that men's body shape had little to do with the perception of dominance.…”

“…The good genes traits that relate especially positively to short-term attractiveness tend to be physical features, especially testosterone-linked traits such as relatively masculine body, face, and voice (Li & Kenrick, 2006;Little, Connely, Feinberg, Jones, & Roberts, 2011;Lucas, Koff, Grossmith, & Migliorini, 2011;Pawlowski & Jasienska, 2005;Provost, Kormos, Kosakoski, & Quinsey, 2006;Puts, 2010). With regard to bodily traits specifically, V-shaped upper body and features indicating muscularity, strength, and physical fitness have been found to be more important in short-term than in long-term contexts (Braun & Bryan, 2006;Li & Kenrick, 2006;Little et al, 2011;Lucas et al, 2011). In contrast, traits that are especially predictive of long-term attractiveness tend to relate more to parental investment, such as social status, access to resources, and the ability to provide protection (Buss & Schmitt, 1993;Li, 2007;Li & Kenrick, 2006).…”

“…Several studies have shown that men with more V-shaped upper bodies are perceived as more attractive (Braun & Bryan, 2006;Brown et al, 2008;Horvath, 1979;Maisey, Vale, Cornelissen & Tovée, 1999;Price, Pound, Dunn, Hopkins, & Kang, 2013;Swami & Tovée, 2005;Swami et al, 2007). In many of these studies, V-shapedness is measured in terms of waist-chest ratio (WCR), with lower WCR being more attractive.…”

“…However, a second potential mediator stemming from this same perspective, the ability to protect oneself and one's family, has largely gone untested and is likely to be strongly related to WCR, as more muscular men are likely better able to fight off or intimidate a potential aggressor. A third potential mediator, dominance, has been conceptualized from both evolutionary (Braun & Bryan, 2006;Frederick & Haselton, 2007) and sociocultural (Bryan, Webster, & Mahaffey, 2011) perspectives, but has received mixed support as a mediator of the WCR-attractiveness link. We now turn to more fully discussing the three hypothesized mediators, and their evolutionary and sociocultural theoretical underpinnings.…”