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Fedurek P, Danel D, Aktipis A, Berbesque JC, Cronk L, Makambi EJ, Lehmann J, Mabulla I, Koziel S. Height and integration in proximity networks among Tanzanian Hadza men. Am J Hum Biol 2024:e24129. [PMID: 38965770 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent years there has been much interest in investigating the extent to which social status or prestige are related to an individual's degree of integration in social networks. It has been shown that, among hunter-gatherers, social characteristics of an individual based on social status or prestige, such foraging reputation, friendship popularity, and pro-social reputation, can influence the extent to which an individual is embedded in a social network. However, little is known regarding the extent to which height, a physical trait that in Western societies is often associated with social status, is associated in integration in social networks among small-scale hunter gatherers. Here, we investigated the relationship between height and a position an individual occupies in proximity networks among Hadza men (n = 30), hunter-gatherers living in Northern Tanzania. The results of our study show that height is not related to the position an individual maintains in proximity networks. We argue that, in a relatively egalitarian small-scale hunter-gatherer societies such as the Hadza, social interactions driving proximity networks might be influenced by social traits, such as popularity and hunting reputation, rather than physical traits, such as height.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Fedurek
- School of Human and Life Sciences, Roehampton University, London, England, UK
- Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Dariusz Danel
- Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Athena Aktipis
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - J Colette Berbesque
- School of Human and Life Sciences, Roehampton University, London, England, UK
| | - Lee Cronk
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - E Jerryson Makambi
- Mount Meru Tour Guide and International Language School, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Julia Lehmann
- School of Human and Life Sciences, Roehampton University, London, England, UK
| | | | - Slawomir Koziel
- Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, Pharmacology and Medical Diagnostics, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw University of Sciences and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
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Meng Y, Jia S, Liu J, Zhang C, Wang H, Liu Y. The shorter a man is, the more he defends fairness: relative height disadvantage promoting third-party punishment-evidence from inter-brain synchronization. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae048. [PMID: 38342691 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Third-party punishment occurs in interpersonal interactions to sustain social norms, and is strongly influenced by the characteristics of the interacting individuals. During social interactions, height is the striking physical appearance features first observed, height disadvantage may critically influence men's behavior and mental health. Herein, we explored the influence of height disadvantage on third-party punishment through time-frequency analysis and electroencephalography hyperscanning. Two participants were randomly designated as the recipient and third party after height comparison and instructed to complete third-party punishment task. Compared with when the third party's height is higher than the recipient's height, when the third party's height is lower, the punishment rate and transfer amount were significantly higher. Only for highly unfair offers, the theta power was significantly greater when the third party's height was lower. The inter-brain synchronization between the recipient and the third party was significantly stronger when the third party's height was lower. Compared with the fair and medium unfair offers, the inter-brain synchronization was strongest for highly unfair offers. Our findings indicate that the height disadvantage-induced anger and reputation concern promote third-party punishment and inter-brain synchronization. This study enriches research perspective and expands the application of the theory of Napoleon complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujia Meng
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - Shuyu Jia
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - Jingyue Liu
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - Chenyu Zhang
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - He Wang
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
- School of Public Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district,Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - Yingjie Liu
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
- School of Public Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district,Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
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3
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Abstract
AbstractThe stereotype of a tall man has been reported in numerous studies. High stature is commonly associated with advantages such as leadership skills, wealth, intelligence or social status, and actual differences between the short and the tall men were indeed found for these traits, mainly in favor of the tall men. It is not certain, however, whether the height-related effects are biologically determined or if they result from socially-driven mechanisms. In this study we wanted to explore whether congenitally blind individuals, who are unable to perceive other people’s stature through the most salient, visual channel, share the positive, height-related stereotype. Thirty-four congenitally blind and forty-three sighted men and women rated four positive characteristics of a tall or a short man. It was found that none of the traits assigned to the tall man by the sighted people was assigned to this person by the blind individuals. In the congenitally blind group, no differences between the assessments of the tall and the short man were revealed. We discuss our findings in the context of social perception and stereotypes research.
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Sorokowski P, Oleszkiewicz A, Sorokowska A, Pisanski K. Human height preferences as a function of population size in the Cook Islands and Norway. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 32:e23367. [PMID: 31793702 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Height preferences and mating patterns related to body size vary across cultures yet it remains unclear why such between-population differences exist. Here, we test a hypothesis that nonrandom assortative mating is negative (mating with nonsimilar partners) in small isolated populations, and positive (mating with similar partners) in larger populations. METHODS We compared preferences for sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS, male height/female height) among men and women living in small isolated communities (as few as 60 inhabitants) vs larger urban areas (as many as 70 000 inhabitants). To increase generalizability, data were collected from heterogeneous populations in the South Pacific (Rarotonga vs Palmerston, Cook Islands) and Northern Europe (capital city of Tromsø vs villages in the Troms County of Norway). RESULTS Norwegians preferred a significantly larger difference in height between partners (median SDS ratio of 1.14) than did Cook Islanders (median SDS ratios of 1-1.04). Indeed, while 30% of Cook Island men and women preferred a partner of the exact same height, this preference was observed among less than 3% of Norwegian men and 7% of Norwegian women. Critically, distributions in SDS preferences did not differ by sex or population size. Thus, rural and urban dwellers within both countries showed similar positive assortative preferences for height, wherein own height explained up to 62% of the variability in preferred partner height. CONCLUSIONS Our results do not support negative assortative preferences in small-scale communities, and further indicate that the "male-taller norm," while weaker among Cook Islanders than Europeans, is observed to some extent in the South Pacific.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Technical University Dresden, Smell and Taste Center, Dresden, Germany
| | - Agnieszka Sorokowska
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.,Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Katarzyna Pisanski
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.,Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, University of Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, Saint-Etienne, France
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Kordsmeyer TL, Stern J, Penke L. 3D anthropometric assessment and perception of male body morphology in relation to physical strength. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 31:e23276. [PMID: 31211470 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The assessment of men's physical strength is an important part of human social perception, for which observers rely on different kinds of cues. However, besides previous studies being limited in considerable ways, as yet there is no comprehensive investigation of a range of somatometric measures in relation to both objectively measured and observer-perceived physical strength using valid stimuli. METHODS We examined observer-perceptions of physical strength from 3D body scans of n = 165 men, the usage and validity of somatometric measures as cues to strength, differences between strength ratings from stimuli presented on computer monitors vs in real-life size using a projector, and between male and female observers. RESULTS A medium-sized correlation between measured and perceived strength was found, partly mediated by target men's chest-to-hip ratio, body density, ankle girth, height, upper arm, and forearm girth. No significant differences between men's and women's strength perceptions or the method of stimuli presentation (computer monitor vs projector) emerged. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that men's physical strength can be assessed with moderate accuracy from 3D body models and that some somatometric measures represent valid cues, which were used by observers, positively predicting both measured and perceived physical strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias L Kordsmeyer
- Department of Psychology & Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Julia Stern
- Department of Psychology & Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Lars Penke
- Department of Psychology & Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
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Undurraga EA, Behrman JR, Emmett SD, Kidd C, Leonard WR, Piantadosi ST, Reyes-García V, Sharma A, Zhang R, Godoy RA. Child stunting is associated with weaker human capital among native Amazonians. Am J Hum Biol 2017; 30. [PMID: 28901592 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We assessed associations between child stunting, recovery, and faltering with schooling and human capital skills in a native Amazonian society of horticulturalists-foragers (Tsimane'). METHODS We used cross-sectional data (2008) from 1262 children aged 6 to 16 years in 53 villages to assess contemporaneous associations between three height categories: stunted (height-for-age Z score, HAZ<-2), moderately stunted (-2 ≤ HAZ≤-1), and nonstunted (HAZ>-1), and three categories of human capital: completed grades of schooling, test-based academic skills (math, reading, writing), and local plant knowledge. We used annual longitudinal data (2002-2010) from all children (n = 853) in 13 villages to estimate the association between changes in height categories between the first and last years of measure and schooling and academic skills. RESULTS Stunting was associated with 0.4 fewer completed grades of schooling (∼24% less) and with 13-15% lower probability of showing any writing or math skills. Moderate stunting was associated with ∼20% lower scores in local plant knowledge and 9% lower probability of showing writing skills, but was not associated with schooling or math and writing skills. Compared with nonstunted children, children who became stunted had 18-21% and 15-21% lower probabilities of showing math and writing skills, and stunted children had 0.4 fewer completed grades of schooling. Stunted children who recovered showed human capital outcomes that were indistinguishable from nonstunted children. CONCLUSIONS The results confirm adverse associations between child stunting and human capital skills. Predictors of growth recovery and faltering can affect human capital outcomes, even in a remote, economically self-sufficient society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo A Undurraga
- School of Government, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Región Metropolitana 7820436, Chile
| | - Jere R Behrman
- Department of Economics and Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Susan D Emmett
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287.,Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Celeste Kidd
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0268
| | - William R Leonard
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| | - Steven T Piantadosi
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0268
| | - Victoria Reyes-García
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona 08010, Spain.,Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Abhishek Sharma
- Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Rebecca Zhang
- Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Ricardo A Godoy
- Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453
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Sorokowski P, Sorokowska A, Butovskaya M, Stulp G, Huanca T, Fink B. Body Height Preferences and Actual Dimorphism in Stature between Partners in
Two Non-Western Societies (Hadza and Tsimane'). EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 13:147470491501300209. [PMCID: PMC10496482 DOI: 10.1177/147470491501300209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Body height influences human mate preferences and choice. A typical finding in Western societies is that women prefer men who are taller than themselves and, equivalently, men prefer women who are shorter than themselves. However, recent reports in non-Western societies (e.g., the Himba in Namibia) challenge the view on the universality of such preferences. Here we report on male and female height preferences in two non-Western populations—the Hadza (Tanzania) and the Tsimane' (Bolivia)—and the relationships between body height preferences and the height of actual partners. In the Hadza, most individuals preferred a sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS) with the man being much taller than the woman. Preferences for SDS and actual partner SDS were positively and significantly correlated in both men and women, suggesting that people who preferred larger height differences also had larger height differences with their partners. In the Tsimane', the majority of men preferred an SDS with the man being taller than the woman, but women did not show such a preference. Unlike in the Hadza, SDS preference was not significantly correlated to actual partner SDS. We conclude that patterns of height preferences and choices in the Hadza and Tsimane' are different than those observed in Western societies, and discuss possible causes for the observed differences between non-Western and Western societies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Agnieszka Sorokowska
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Dresden,
Germany; Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Marina Butovskaya
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia;
National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Gert Stulp
- Department of Sociology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tomas Huanca
- Centro Boliviano de Investigación y de Desarrollo Socio Integral, Correo Central, San
Borja, Beni, Bolivia
| | - Bernhard Fink
- Institute of Psychology and Courant Research Centre Evolution of Social Behavior,
University of Göttingen, Germany
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8
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Batres C, Re DE, Perrett DI. Influence of Perceived Height, Masculinity, and Age on Each Other and on Perceptions of Dominance in Male Faces. Perception 2015; 44:1293-309. [PMID: 26562897 DOI: 10.1177/0301006615596898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have examined the individual effects of facial cues to height, masculinity, and age on interpersonal interactions and partner preferences. We know much less about the influence of these traits on each other. We, therefore, examined how facial cues to height, masculinity, and age influence perceptions of each other and found significant overlap. This suggests that studies investigating the effects of one of these traits in isolation may need to account for the influence of the other two traits. Additionally, there is inconsistent evidence on how each of these three facial traits affects dominance. We, therefore, investigated how varying such traits influences perceptions of dominance in male faces. We found that increases in perceived height, masculinity, and age (up to 35 years) all increased facial dominance. Our results may reflect perceptual generalizations from sex differences as men are on average taller, more dominant, and age faster than women. Furthermore, we found that the influences of height and age on perceptions of dominance are mediated by masculinity. These results give us a better understanding of the facial characteristics that convey the appearance of dominance, a trait that is linked to a wealth of real-world outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlota Batres
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, UK
| | - Daniel E Re
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - David I Perrett
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, UK
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9
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Sorokowski P, Sorokowska A, Butovskaya M, Stulp G, Huanca T, Fink B. Body height preferences and actual dimorphism in stature between partners in two non-Western societies (Hadza and Tsimane'). EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2015; 13:455-69. [PMID: 26079105 PMCID: PMC10496482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Body height influences human mate preferences and choice. A typical finding in Western societies is that women prefer men who are taller than themselves and, equivalently, men prefer women who are shorter than themselves. However, recent reports in non-Western societies (e.g., the Himba in Namibia) challenge the view on the universality of such preferences. Here we report on male and female height preferences in two non-Western populations--the Hadza (Tanzania) and the Tsimane' (Bolivia)--and the relationships between body height preferences and the height of actual partners. In the Hadza, most individuals preferred a sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS) with the man being much taller than the woman. Preferences for SDS and actual partner SDS were positively and significantly correlated in both men and women, suggesting that people who preferred larger height differences also had larger height differences with their partners. In the Tsimane', the majority of men preferred an SDS with the man being taller than the woman, but women did not show such a preference. Unlike in the Hadza, SDS preference was not significantly correlated to actual partner SDS. We conclude that patterns of height preferences and choices in the Hadza and Tsimane' are different than those observed in Western societies, and discuss possible causes for the observed differences between non-Western and Western societies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Agnieszka Sorokowska
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Marina Butovskaya
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Gert Stulp
- Department of Sociology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tomas Huanca
- Centro Boliviano de Investigación y de Desarrollo Socio Integral, Correo Central, San Borja, Beni, Bolivia
| | - Bernhard Fink
- Institute of Psychology and Courant Research Centre Evolution of Social Behavior, University of Göttingen, Germany
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Tanner S, Leonard WR, Reyes-García V. The consequences of linear growth stunting: Influence on body composition among youth in the bolivian amazon. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 153:92-102. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2013] [Revised: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 10/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Susan Tanner
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia; Athens GA 30602
| | | | - Victoria Reyes-García
- ICREA and Institut de Ciència I Technologia Ambientals; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Cerdanyola del Valles Spain
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Sorokowski P, Butovskaya ML. Height preferences in humans may not be universal: evidence from the Datoga people of Tanzania. Body Image 2012; 9:510-6. [PMID: 22871368 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2011] [Revised: 07/05/2012] [Accepted: 07/09/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Many studies in Western societies have shown that women prefer relatively taller men as potential partners, whereas men prefer women who are slightly shorter than themselves. Here, we discuss possible limitations of previous results within the context of the stimuli used (i.e., differences in the perceived body size of female silhouettes). Our results show that, at least in a Polish sample (N=231), modified stimuli did not essentially change the observed male-taller preferences. In contrast, we report height preferences in a traditional ethnic group, the Datoga people from Tanzania (N=107), in which men and women preferred extreme sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS) sets (i.e., men and women chose women much taller or much shorter than themselves). Thus, our data do not accord with the suggestion of a universal preference for taller men, but rather suggests that height preferences may be influenced by cultural, environmental, and ecological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Sorokowski
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Dawida, 1, 50-527 Wroclaw, Poland.
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