1,721,064 research outputs found
Male facial appearance signals physical strength to women
No full textPrevious studies showed that male faces with extreme features that are likely to be associated with testosterone (T) are perceived as dominant and masculine. Women were reported to prefer masculinized male faces, as they may consider T markers to be an "honest" indication of good health. However, it is also likely that female preferences for certain male faces arise from the fact that dominant- and masculine-looking males are signaling characteristics which may be beneficial in intrasexual conflict, and thereby also indicate potential achievers of high status, an important factor in female mate selection. Although numerous studies were built on this assumption, nothing is known about the relationship between perceived facial dominance and physical strength in men. We measured hand-grip strength, as a measure of overall physical strength, in a sample of 32 male students, and recorded age, body weight, and height. Seventy-nine women rated facial images of these men for dominance, masculinity, and attractiveness. After controlling for age and body weight, hand-grip strength was found to correlate significantly positively with all three measures. The present data thus support the supposition that a male's physical strength is also signaled via facial characteristics of dominance and masculinity, which are considered attractive by women
The Role of Human Body Movements in Mate Selection
No full textIt is common scientific knowledge, that most of what we say within a conversation is not only expressed by the words’ meaning alone, but also through our gestures, postures, and body movements. This non-verbal mode is possibly rooted firmly in our human evolutionary heritage, and as such, some scientists argue that it serves as a fundamental assessment and expression tool for our inner qualities. Studies of nonverbal communication have established that a universal, culture-free, non-verbal sign system exists, that is available to all individuals for negotiating social encounters. Thus, it is not only the kind of gestures and expressions humans use in social communication, but also the way these movements are performed, as this seems to convey key information about an individual’s quality. Dance, for example, is a special form of movement, which can be observed in human courtship displays. Recent research suggests that people are sensitive to the variation in dance movements, and that dance performance provides information about an individual’s mate quality in terms of health and strength. This article reviews the role of body movement in human non-verbal communication, and highlights its significance in human mate preferences in order to promote future work in this research area within the evolutionary psychology framework
Male faces and bodies: Evidence of a condition-dependent ornament of quality
No full textThornhill and Grammer (1999) have argued that certain facial and bodily features in women serve as ‘honest’ signals of their reproductive quality and that these features comprise a single condition-dependent ornament. Here we test whether the hypothesis that male faces and bodies also comprise such a sexual ornament. Photographs of faces and bodies (front and back views) of 43 males subjects were rated independently by a total of 78 female volunteers in terms of ‘attractiveness’, ‘masculinity’, and ‘dominance’. Ratings of male faces correlated significantly positively with the same ratings of their bodies. Thus, if a face was rated as being attractive, dominant and masculine, then the body was rated in the equivalent manner. Males who possess attractive, masculine, and dominant looking faces also possess attractive, masculine, and dominant looking bodies, probably because of similar patterns of underlying proximate mechanisms that affect their development
Men’s physical strength is associated with women’s perceptions of their dancing ability
No full textPrenatal and/or pubertal testosterone (T) directly influences male physical characteristics and behaviors that facilitate the achievement and maintenance of status and resources. In numerous animal species there is evidence that females have evolved preferences for signals of a male’s status as such signals may indicate male quality (in terms of health and reproductive success). In humans, it is known that women judge sex-typical (T-linked) physical characteristics of the face and body of men higher on attractiveness, masculinity, and dominance. Moreover, recent research indicates that women are also able to evaluate certain male facial characteristics that signal physical strength. Here we show that women’s perception of the attractiveness and assertiveness of men’s dancing, correlates with male handgrip strength (as a measure of muscular strength) after controlling for body weight. We conclude that men’s dances – in addition to faces and bodies – may be another proxy for male competitiveness, and could thus be used by women to evaluate male quality
Facial Visualizations of Women's Voices Suggest a Cross-Modality Preference for Femininity
No full textWomen with higher-pitched voices and more feminine facial features are commonly judged as being more attractive than are women with lower-pitched voices and less feminine faces, possibly because both features are affected by (age-related) variations in endocrine status. These results are primarily derived from investigations of perceptions of variations in single-modality stimuli (i.e., faces or voices) in samples of young adult women. In the present study we sought to test whether male and female perceptions of women's voices affect visual representations of facial femininity. Eighty men and women judged voice recordings of 10 young girls (11-15 years), 10 adult women (19-28 years) and 10 peri-/post-menopausal women (50-64 years) on age, attractiveness, and femininity. Another 80 men and women were asked to indicate the face they think each voice corresponded to using a video that gradually changed from a masculine looking male face into a feminine looking female face. Both male and female participants perceived voices of young girls and adult women to be significantly younger, more attractive and feminine than those of peri-/post-menopausal women. Hearing young girls' and adult women's voices resulted in both men and women selecting faces that differed markedly in apparent femininity from those associated with peri-/post-menopausal women's voices. Voices of young girls had the strongest effect on visualizations of facial femininity. Our results suggest a cross-modal preference for women's vocal and facial femininity, which depends on female age and is independent of the perceiver's sex
The role of human body movements in mate selection
No full textIt is common scientific knowledge, that most of what we say within a conversation is not only expressed by the words meaning alone, but also through our gestures, postures, and body movements. This non-verbal mode is possibly rooted firmly in our human evolutionary heritage, and as such, some scientists argue that it serves as a fundamental assessment and expression tool for our inner qualities. Studies of nonverbal communication have established that a universal, culture-free, non-verbal sign system exists, that is available to all individuals for negotiating social encounters. Thus, it is not only the kind of gestures and expressions humans use in social communication, but also the way these movements are performed, as this seems to convey key information about an individuals quality. Dance, for example, is a special form of movement, which can be observed in human courtship displays. Recent research suggests that people are sensitive to the variation in dance movements, and that dance performance provides information about an individuals mate quality in terms of health and strength. This article reviews the role of body movement in human non-verbal communication, and highlights its significance in human mate preferences in order to promote future work in this research area within the evolutionary psychology framework
Hand-grip strength and sensation seeking
No full textSensation seeking denotes the tendency to seek novel, varied, complex, and intense sensations and experiences, and describes the willingness to take risks for the sake of such experiences. Some studies have demonstrated correlates of both circulating and prenatal testosterone with sensation seeking. Hand-grip strength (as a measure of overall muscular strength) is also known to show associations with measures of circulating testosterone, and certain physical and behavioural characteristics, particularly in men. This study examines the possible relationship between hand-grip strength and sensation seeking, assessed via the Sensation Seeking Scale Form V (SSS-V) in 117 males aged 18–30 years. A positive and significant correlation was found between hand-grip strength and SSS-V total score and thrill and adventure seeking (TAS) after controlling for weight, height, and engagement with sporting activities. We discuss our findings with reference to other studies reporting associations between biological and personality characteristics
The second to fourth digit ratio and asymmetry
No full textBackground: Deviations of physical characteristics from bilateral symmetry, in otherwise symmetric individuals, are supposed to result from environmental perturbations during development. One cause of such perturbations may be sex steroids such as testosterone and oestrogen. Aim: The study examined the relationship between second to fourth digit ratio (2D:4D), a putative negative correlate with prenatal testosterone and a positive correlate with prenatal oestrogen, and asymmetry. Methods: Eleven traits (including the second and fourth finger lengths) were measured in a sample of 680 English children aged 2-18 years, and second to fifth finger lengths in samples of 120 Austrian and English undergraduate students aged from 17 to 30 years and 213 Polish adults aged from 26 to 90 years. Results: Significant U-shaped curvilinear associations between 2D:4D and all 11 traits were found in English children with the strongest associations between 2D:4D and composite asymmetry of second plus fourth digit, and second to fifth digits. Further investigation of the relation between 2D:4D and digit asymmetries in the sample of Austrian and English undergraduates and the Polish adults confirmed significant U-shaped relationships between 2D:4D and finger asymmetries. Conclusion: Our data show that both low 2D:4D (a marker of high prenatal testosterone) and high 2D:4D (a marker of high prenatal oestrogen) are associated with elevated levels of asymmetry and this relationship applies particularly to finger asymmetry
Instrumentality and lifetime number of sexual partners
Full text linkThe degree of instrumentality and expressiveness displayed by males and females is known to correlate with a wide range of behaviors. A number of studies have investigated the impact of these personality traits on sexual strategy selection, in particular partner preference. Here we report associations between the lifetime number of sexual partners and the age at first sexual intercourse in relation to personality (as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory; BSRI) in a sample of 232 German males and females aged 16-63 years. Significant sex differences were found for BSRI measures such that males scored higher on instrumentality, while females scored higher on expressiveness. Significant positive associations between BSRI instrumentality scores and the reported lifetime number of sexual partners were found in both males and females. In addition, reported age of first sexual intercourse was negatively correlated with BSRI instrumentality scores in males. Finally, females scoring higher on BSRI instrumentality reported to have more lifetime number of sexual partners, even when actual biological age was controlled for. These findings suggest that there are significant within-sex differences in sexual behaviors due to the possession of instrumental personality traits
Second to fourth digit ratio and sensation seeking
No full textSensation seeking has been described as a trait referring to the tendency to seek novel, varied, complex, and intense sensations and experiences; and the willingness to take risks for the sake of such experiences. Explanations for sensation seeking have been based upon genetic, evolutionary, psychophysiological, and sociocultural models. This study further examines the possibility that prenatal hormones - as measured via 2D:4D finger length ratio - may influence the development of certain personality characteristics associated with sensation seeking (Austin, Manning, McInroy, & Mathews, 2002). We studied the relationship between 2D:4D ratios, a supposed proxy for prenatal testosterone (T), and sensation seeking as assessed by the Sensation Seeking Scale Form V (SSS-V) in a sample of 278 German and UK University students. There were significant sex differences for 2D:4D and on the SSS-V, with males having lower 2D:4D ratios, but higher SSS-V scores. Furthermore, right- and left-hand 2D:4D in males was significantly negatively associated with total sensation seeking score, and the boredom subscale. No significant associations were found for women. Since low 2D:4D is supposed to indicate exposure to higher levels of T in utero, our data suggest that there may be an organizational effect of T which influences later development of sensation seeking personality characteristics in men
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