Female Shapeliness

Another example of a body characteristic that is tied to attractiveness

from an evolutionary perspective is women’s WHR. Around the world, men

prefer women with lower WHRs (between 0.7 and 0.8). Evolutionary psychology

research emphasizes the importance of WHRs as a major force in

social perception and attraction because shape is a very visible sign of the location

of fat stores. This consequently signals reproductive potential and

health. Low WHRs do indeed directly map onto higher fertility, lower stress

levels, and resistance to major diseases. For example, women with WHRs of

0.8 are almost 10 percent more likely to get pregnant than women with

WHRs around 0.9.

Although not as much research has focused on the female breast as a signaler

of reproductive fitness, a variety of studies suggest that it is also an important

factor, although the evidence is mixed. Some studies support the

commonly held stereotype that men prefer larger breasts, although others

seem to show no such preference. In contrast, some studies have showed

that small and medium breasts are preferred to larger breasts, but much of

this work focused either on the bust or on WHRs, not both together. Unfortunately,

methodological restrictions and poor stimulus materials limit the

generalizability of most previous work using WHRs and other bodily features.

For example, many studies used line drawings of figures or verbal descriptions

of figures instead of pictures of real people. Research is currently

under way to provide clearer tests of evolutionary psychology theories of attraction.

The most consistently documented finding on the evolutionary basis of

attraction relates to gender differences in human mate choice. Consistent

with Darwin’s ideas that humans are naturally programmed to behave in

ways to ensure that their genes will be passed on to future generations (ensuring

survival), evidence indicates that men tend to prefer young, healthylooking

mates, as these characteristics are associated with the delivery of

healthy babies. An examination of the content of more than eight hundred

personal advertisements found that men stressed attractiveness and youth

in mates more than did women, a finding supported by marriage statistics

throughout the twentieth century. Women have been shown to place more

emphasis on a prospective mate’s social status and financial status, and these

traits are often related to being able to take good care of children. The fact

that women in Western societies are achieving higher economic positions,

however, would suggest that this pattern of preferences may change in time.