Human Physique and Sexual Attractiveness: Sexual Preferences of Men and Women in Bakossiland, Cameroon

Abstract

Men and women living in a rural community in Bakossiland, Cameroon were asked to rate the attractiveness of images of male or female figures manipulated to vary in somatotype, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), secondary sexual traits, and other features. In Study 1, women rated mesomorphic (muscular) and average male somatotypes as most attractive, followed by ectomorphic (slim) and endomorphic (heavily built) figures. In Study 2, amount and distribution of masculine trunk (chest and abdominal) hair was altered progressively in a series of front-posed male figures. A significant preference for one of these images was found, but the most hirsute figure was not judged as most attractive. Study 3 assessed attractiveness of front-posed male figures which varied only in length of the non-erect penis. Extremes of penile size (smallest and largest of five images) were rated as significantly less attractive than three intermediate sizes. In Study 4, Bakossi men rated the attractiveness of back-posed female images varying in WHR (from 0.5-1.0). The 0.8 WHR figure was rated markedly more attractive than others. Study 5 rated the attractiveness of female skin color. Men expressed no consistent preference for either lighter or darker female figures. These results are the first of their kind reported for a Central African community and provide a useful cross-cultural perspective to published accounts on sexual selection, human morphology and attractiveness in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere.

Females prefer to associate with males with longer intromittent organs in mosquitofish

“…In humans, there seems to be stabilizing sexual selection on penis length (e.g. Dixson et al 2007). Bertin & Fairbairn (2005) demonstrated the existence of pre-copulatory sexual selection for external genital size in water striders, but it is unclear if this is driven by sexual conflict over mating rates or active female choice (Arnqvist & Rowe 2005).…”

Penis size interacts with body shape and height to influence male attractiveness

“…The only scientific studies to attempt to test experimentally whether flaccid penis length affects male attractiveness asked women to rate five images created by modifying a single drawing of a male figure so that the test figures differed only in penis length (30)(31)(32). These important studies were not designed to quantify directly the relative effect of penis length on attractiveness compared with other sexually selected male traits, such as height and body shape (30)(31)(32).…”

“…These important studies were not designed to quantify directly the relative effect of penis length on attractiveness compared with other sexually selected male traits, such as height and body shape (30)(31)(32). Therefore, it is still unknown whether penis size affects attractiveness when there is substantive variation in other, arguably more important, body traits, or whether interactions between these traits and penis size determine net attractiveness.…”

Immature psychological defense mechanisms and the misrepresentations of some sex researchers

“…A likely explanation is that a longer penis would more easily stimulate the cervix and the proximal vagina. In fact, a larger penis could be a fitness-related attribute, as a moderately larger penis has been cross-culturally associated with higher physical attractiveness of males as judged by women (Dixson, Dixson, Bishop, & Parish, 2010;Dixson, Dixson, Li, & Anderson, 2007;Dixson, Dixson, Morgan, & Anderson, 2007). Greater vaginal distention (that would be caused by penile pressure) increases vaginal electrical activity and muscle contractility leading to greater arousal (Shafik, El Sibai, Shafik, Ahmed, & Mostafa, 2004).…”