51
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Too real for comfort? Uncanny responses to computer generated faces. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2009; 25:695-710. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2008.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 279] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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52
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Swami V, Furnham A. Big and beautiful: attractiveness and health ratings of the female body by male "fat admirers". ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2009; 38:201-8. [PMID: 17680352 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-007-9200-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2006] [Revised: 12/12/2006] [Accepted: 01/25/2007] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the body weight and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) preferences of "fat admirers" (FAs), that is, individuals who are sexually attracted to heavier partners. Fifty-six heterosexual men involved in the FA community rated a series of line drawings that varied in three levels of body weight and six of WHR for physical attractiveness and health. The results showed significant main effects of body weight and WHR, as well as a significant body weight x WHR interaction for both health ratings. In general, there was a preference for heavyweight figures and high WHRs for ratings of attractiveness and normal-weight figures and mid-ranging WHRs for ratings of health. Limitations of the study and explanations for fat admiration are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viren Swami
- Division of Public Health, University of Liverpool, Whelan Building, Quadrangle, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3GB, UK.
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53
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Cornelissen PL, Toveé MJ, Bateson M. Patterns of subcutaneous fat deposition and the relationship between body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio: Implications for models of physical attractiveness. J Theor Biol 2009; 256:343-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2008.09.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2008] [Revised: 09/25/2008] [Accepted: 09/25/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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54
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Rilling JK, Kaufman TL, Smith E, Patel R, Worthman CM. Abdominal depth and waist circumference as influential determinants of human female attractiveness. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2008.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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55
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Swami V, Rozmus-Wrzesinska M, Voracek M, Haubner T, Danel D, Pawłowski B, Stanistreet D, Chaplin F, Chaudhri J, Sheth P, Shostak A, Zhang EX, Furnham A. The influence of skin tone, body weight, and hair colour on perceptions of women's attractiveness and health: A cross-cultural investigation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1556/jep.6.2008.4.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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56
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Swami V, Buchanan T, Furnham A, Tovée MJ. Five-factor personality correlates of perceptions of women’s body sizes. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2008.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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57
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George HR, Swami V, Cornelissen PL, Tovée MJ. Preferences for body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio do not vary with observer age. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1556/jep.6.2008.3.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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58
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Swami V, Tovée MJ, Furnham A. Does financial security influence judgements of female physical attractiveness? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2007.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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59
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Swami V, Chan F, Wong V, Furnham A, Tovée MJ. Weight-Based Discrimination in Occupational Hiring and Helping Behavior. JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00334.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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60
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Swami V, Miller R, Furnham A, Penke L, Tovée MJ. The influence of men’s sexual strategies on perceptions of women’s bodily attractiveness, health and fertility. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2007.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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61
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Swami V, Tovée MJ. The relative contribution of profile body shape and weight to judgements of women's physical attractiveness in Britain and Malaysia. Body Image 2007; 4:391-6. [PMID: 18089286 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2007] [Revised: 07/16/2007] [Accepted: 07/17/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Ninety-six Malaysian and British men rated for physical attractiveness a set of photographs of real women in profile, with known body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Results showed that BMI accounted for the greater amount of variance in all settings. There were also significant differences in preferences for body weight, with low resource, low socioeconomic status (SES) raters preferring a significantly heavier partner than high resource, high SES raters. The disparity with previous findings using line drawings of women in profile was discussed in terms of the weaknesses of line-drawn stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viren Swami
- Division of Public Health, University of Liverpool, Whelan Building, Quadrangle, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69 3GB, UK.
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62
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Smith KL, Tovée MJ, Hancock PJB, Bateson M, Cox MAA, Cornelissen PL. An analysis of body shape attractiveness based on image statistics: Evidence for a dissociation between expressions of preference and shape discrimination. VISUAL COGNITION 2007. [DOI: 10.1080/13506280601029515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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63
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Assortative mating is the nonrandom mating of individuals with respect to phenotype and cultural factors. Previous studies of assortative mating for obesity have indicated that it may have contributed to the obesity epidemic. However, those studies all used body mass index or skinfold thicknesses to measure obesity and did not always account for potential confounding factors. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the level of assortative mating for obesity by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to characterize body composition. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional study of 42 couples. RESULTS Raw spousal correlations showed assortative mating for age, weight, body mass index, lean mass, and fat mass. Removing the effect of age on fat mass strengthened the spousal correlation (r = 0.405). Social homogamy did not appear to be important, because in this sample there was no significant effect of area of origin on age-corrected fat and lean tissue masses for either sex. Regional body-composition analysis showed that subjects with disproportionately large arms (both fat and lean) assortatively mated with partners with the same trait. However, both men and women with high lean tissue in their arms assortatively mated with partners that had a disproportionately low fat content in their legs. CONCLUSIONS These data confirm that assortative mating for obesity exists when dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is used to evaluate adiposity. We hypothesize that assortative mating may have contributed to the obesity epidemic because the time course of obesity development has shifted progressively earlier, allowing singles in their late teens and early twenties to more easily distinguish partners with obese and lean phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Speakman
- Aberdeen Centre for Energy Regulation and Obesity, Division of Obesity and Metabolic Health, Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom.
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64
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Pokrywka L, Cabrić M, Krakowiak H. Body mass index and waist: hip ratio are not enough to characterise female attractiveness. Perception 2007; 35:1693-7. [PMID: 17283934 DOI: 10.1068/p5506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The assessment of characteristic body features of Miss Poland beauty contest finalists compared with the control group, can contribute to recognising the contemporary ideal of beauty promoted by the mass media. The studies of Playboy models and fashion models conducted so far have been limited to the following determinants of attractiveness: body mass index, waist:hip ratio, and waist:chest ratio, which only partially describe the body shape. We compared 20 body features of the finalists of Miss Poland 2004 beauty contest with those of the students of Medical Academy in Bydgoszcz. Discriminant analysis showed that the thigh girth-height index, waist: chest ratio, height, and body mass index had the greatest discrimination power distinguishing the two groups. A model of Miss Poland finalists figure assessment is presented which allows one to distinguish super-attractive women from the control group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leszek Pokrywka
- Department of Histology and Immunology, University of Medicine Gdańsk. ul. Debinki 1, PL 80-211 Gdańsk, Poland.
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65
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Swami V, Knight D, Tovée MJ, Davies P, Furnham A. Preferences for female body size in Britain and the South Pacific. Body Image 2007; 4:219-23. [PMID: 18089268 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2006] [Revised: 01/08/2007] [Accepted: 01/08/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To assess current attitudes to body weight and shape in the South Pacific, a region characterised by relatively high levels of obesity and traditionally positive views of large bodies, 38 high socio-economic status (SES) adolescent males and 38 low SES adolescent males in Independent Samoa were asked to rate a set of images of real women for physical attractiveness. Participants in both SES settings preferred women with a slender figure, as did a comparison group in Britain, suggesting that the traditional veneration of large bodies is no longer apparent in Samoa. However, the results also showed that low SES adolescents were more likely to view overweight figures as attractive, which suggests that the veneration of slim figures may be associated with increasing SES. Implications of this finding are discussed in conclusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viren Swami
- Division of Public Health, University of Liverpool, Whelan Building, Quadrangle, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69 3GB, United Kingdom.
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66
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Swami V, Tovée MJ. Differences in attractiveness preferences between observers in low- and high-resource environments in Thailand. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1556/jep.2007.1005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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67
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Swami V, Smith J, Tsiokris A, Georgiades C, Sangareau Y, Tovée MJ, Furnham A. Male Physical Attractiveness in Britain and Greece: A Cross-Cultural Study. The Journal of Social Psychology 2007; 147:15-26. [PMID: 17345919 DOI: 10.3200/socp.147.1.15-26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The waist-to-chest ratio (WCR), body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are the major cues to women's ratings of men's bodily attractiveness (J. T. Fan, W. Dai, F. Liu, & J. Wu, 2005; D. M. Maisey, E. L. E. Vale, P. L. Cornelissen, & M. J. Tovée, 1999; V. Swami & M. J. Tovée, 2005b). The authors examined the relative importance of each of these cues cross-culturally in Greece and Britain. Participants were 36 British and 40 Greek women who rated a set of images of real men with known WCR, BMI, and WHR. The results showed that, regardless of the cultural setting, WCR was the primary determinant of men's physical attractiveness to women, with BMI playing a minor role. However, there were also cross-cultural differences: The Greek women showed a stronger preference for a lower WCR and smaller overall body weight than did the British women. The authors considered possible explanations of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viren Swami
- Department of Psychology, University College London.
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68
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Swami V, Greven C, Furnham A. More than just skin-deep? A pilot study integrating physical and non-physical factors in the perception of physical attractiveness. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2006.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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69
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Abstract
Two important cues to 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 three culturally distinct populations. A total of 119 Finnish, Sámi and British male observers rated a set of un-edited photographs of women with known BMI and WHR. The results showed that there were significant differences in preferences for physical attractiveness, with the indigenous Sámi preferring figures with larger BMIs and more tolerant of heavyweight figures than either Finnish participants in Helsinki or Britons in London, who were indistinguishable in their preferences for slim figures. The findings are discussed in terms of evolutionary psychological explanations of mate selection, and sociocultural theories which emphasizes the learning of preferences for body sizes in social and cultural contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viren Swami
- Division of Public Health, University of Liverpool, UK.
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70
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71
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Swami V, Neto F, Tovée MJ, Furnham A. Preferences for Female Body Weight and Shape in Three European Countries. EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2007. [DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040.12.3.220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Body mass index (BMI) and body shape as measured by the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are important components in judgments of women's bodily attractiveness. The relative importance of each of these cues was examined in three countries: Britain, Spain, and Portugal. Male participants from Britain, Spain, and Portugal, respectively, were asked to rate a set of images of real women with known BMI and WHR. The results showed that, regardless of the cultural setting, BMI was the primary determinant of women's physical attractiveness, with consistent preferences for relatively slender women. WHR emerged as a significant predictor of attractiveness judgments for the Spanish and Portuguese groups (with preferences for low WHRs, indicative of a curvaceous female body), but not the British group. These findings are discussed in terms of the different cultural values ascribed to participants in the three countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viren Swami
- Division of Public Health, University of Liverpool, UK
| | - Felix Neto
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Porto, Portugal
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72
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Body weight, waist-to-hip ratio and breast size correlates of ratings of attractiveness and health. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2006.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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73
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A Critical Test of the Waist-to-Hip Ratio Hypothesis of Women's Physical Attractiveness in Britain and Greece. SEX ROLES 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s11199-006-9338-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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74
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Leong A. Sexual dimorphism of the pelvic architecture: a struggling response to destructive and parsimonious forces by natural & mate selection. Mcgill J Med 2006; 9:61-6. [PMID: 19529812 PMCID: PMC2687900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Leong
- Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
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75
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Abstract
Everywhere the issue has been examined, people make discriminations about others’ physical attractiveness. Can human standards of physical attractiveness be understood through the lens of evolutionary biology? In the past decade, this question has guided much theoretical and empirical work. In this paper, we (a) outline the basic adaptationist approach that has guided the bulk of this work, (b) describe evolutionary models of signaling that have been applied to understand human physical attractiveness, and (c) discuss and evaluate specific lines of empirical research attempting to address the selective history of human standards of physical attractiveness. We also discuss ways evolutionary scientists have attempted to understand variability in standards of attractiveness across cultures as well as the ways current literature speaks to body modification in modern Western cultures. Though much work has been done, many fundamental questions remain unanswered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven W. Gangestad
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87111;,
| | - Glenn J. Scheyd
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87111;,
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76
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Abstract
Decades of research have demonstrated that anorexia nervosa (AN) may be associated with aberrant cognition, yet, its role in maintaining stringent dieting has received relatively little attention from mainstream researchers of eating disorders. The purpose of the present article is to highlight cognitive ('top-down') factors that are considered responsible for anticipatory anxiety of stoutness and frank fat-phobia (laparophobia). A cognitive model proposed departs from the formulation suggesting that phobia of over-eating is superimposed on avoidant tendencies ('environmental autonomy syndrome'), whereas excessive exercising becomes a natural coping strategy with laparophobia, an instrument of reward. AN ideation involves complex neuronal circuitries and multiple neurochemical components that may conceivably represent a mirror image of those underlying obesity. The emphasis on phobia and aberrant membrane excitability akin to channelopathies behoves the clinicians to be aware of potential uses of drugs acting at the gamma-aminobutyric acid and the N-methyl-D-aspartate/AMPA [2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazol-4-yl) propionic acid] receptors sites as the adjuncts to conventional agents in managing AN.
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77
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Swami V, Tovée MJ. Female physical attractiveness in Britain and Malaysia: a cross-cultural study. Body Image 2005; 2:115-28. [PMID: 18089180 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2004] [Revised: 01/18/2005] [Accepted: 02/20/2005] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viren Swami
- Department of Psychology, University College of London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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78
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Abstract
Based on 69 scanned Chinese male subjects and 25 Caucasian male subjects, the present study showed that the volume height index (VHI) is the most important visual cue to male body attractiveness of young Chinese viewers among the many body parameters examined in the study. VHI alone can explain ca. 73% of the variance of male body attractiveness ratings. The effect of VHI can be fitted with two half bell-shaped exponential curves with an optimal VHI at 17.6 l m(-2) and 18.0 l m(-2) for female raters and male raters, respectively. In addition to VHI, other body parameters or ratios can have small, but significant effects on male body attractiveness. Body proportions associated with fitness will enhance male body attractiveness. It was also found that there is an optimal waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) at 0.8 and deviations from this optimal WHR reduce male body attractiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Fan
- Institute of Textiles and Clothing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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79
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Abstract
Evidence from developed Western societies is reviewed for the claims that (a) physical attractiveness judgments are substantially based on body size and shape, symmetry, sex-typical hormonal markers, and other specific cues and (b) physical attractiveness and these cues substantially predict health. Among the cues that the authors review, only female waist-to-hip ratio and weight appear to predict both attractiveness and health in the claimed manner. Other posited cues--symmetry and sex-typical hormonal markers among them--failed to predict either attractiveness or health (or both) in either sex. The authors find that there is some indication that attractiveness has an overall relationship with health among women, but little indication that male attractiveness relates to male health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Weeden
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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80
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Abstract
The causes of the current obesity epidemic are multifactorial and include genetic, environmental, and individual factors. One potential risk factor may be the experience of childhood sexual abuse. Childhood sexual abuse is remarkably common and is thought to affect up to one-third of women and one-eighth of men. A history of childhood sexual abuse is associated with numerous psychological sequelae including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, somatization, and eating disorders. Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult obesity. These studies suggest at least a modest relationship between the two. Potential explanations for the relationship have focused on the role of disordered eating, particularly binge eating, as well as the possible "adaptive function" of obesity in childhood sexual abuse survivors. Nevertheless, additional research on the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and obesity is clearly needed, not only to address the outstanding empirical issues but also to guide clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- T B Gustafson
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Weight and Eating Disorders Program, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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81
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Abstract
On the basis of visual assessment of figure drawings and front/profile images, past researchers believed that the waist-hip ratio (WHR) and the body mass index (BMI) were two putative cues to female physical attractiveness. However, this view was not tested on three-dimensional (3D) female images. In the present study, 3D images of 31 Caucasian females having varying body weights (BMI ranged from 16 to 35) were shown to 29 male and 25 female viewers, who were asked to rate the physical attractiveness. The results showed that the body volume divided by the square of the height, defined as volume height index (VHI), is the most important and direct visual determinant of female physical attractiveness. In determining the female attractiveness, human observers may first use VHI as a visual cue, which is also a key indicator of health and fertility owing to its strong linear relation to BMI. To fine-tune the judgement, observers may then use body proportions, the most important of which are the ratio of waist height over the chin height (WHC) (a measure of the length of legs over total tallness) and the deviation of WHR from the ideal ratio. It also appears that the effect of the body's physical parameters on the perception of female physical attractiveness conforms to Stevens' power law of psychophysics.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Fan
- Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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82
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Lummaa V. Early developmental conditions and reproductive success in humans: downstream effects of prenatal famine, birthweight, and timing of birth. Am J Hum Biol 2003; 15:370-9. [PMID: 12704713 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.10155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Growth, survival, and breeding success of individuals in populations of wild mammals are influenced by the climatic and nutritional conditions that individuals experience during their early development. Recent findings have shown that early conditions also have consequences for subsequent survival and reproductive performance in humans. Environmental conditions which affect early development of individuals, such as the quality and quantity of nutrition received in utero and infancy, predict the onset of many chronic diseases in adulthood, affect longevity and may also influence a range of measures of reproductive performance in both food-limited and contemporary Western human populations. These associations are proposed to result from foetal programming, where a stimulus or insult during a critical period early in life may permanently affect body structure, physiology, and metabolism. Here I review studies showing how birthweight, season of birth, or exposure to prenatal starvation affect different aspects of an individual's subsequent reproductive success in humans and the growth, survival, and reproductive performance of the offspring produced. I show that early maternal and environmental conditions can have a large impact on human reproductive strategies and fitness that can span across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virpi Lummaa
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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