Mate preferences and choices for facial and body hair in heterosexual women and homosexual men: influence of sex,population, homogamy,and imprinting-like effect

Recent research has reported that male body and facial hair influence women's mate preferences. However, it is not clear whether such preferences are typical for women or for individuals who prefer males as sexual partners. Here we explored body and facial hair in preferred and actual partners among men and women who prefer men as sexual partners. Including homosexual individuals provides a unique opportunity to investigate whether evolved mating psychologies are specific to the sex of the individual or sex of the partner. Based on an online survey of 1577 participants from Brazil and the Czech Republic, we found that, on average, homosexual men preferred hairier stimuli than heterosexual women, supporting past findings that homosexual men have strong preferences for masculine traits. Preferences for facial and body hair appear to be influenced less by sex of the preferred partner than sex of the individual, pointing to a possible sex-specific mating psychology. Further, Brazilians preferred bigger beards than Czechs, which was positively associated with the self-reported amount of beardedness in Brazil, suggesting that familiarity effects underpin cross-cultural differences in preferences for facial hair. Moreover, homosexual men preferred a self-similar degree of beardedness, and Czech women preferred a similar degree of beardedness as their fathers had during their childhood. However, these effects were not associated with the level of facial hair in their actual partners; in general, mate preferences and actual mate choices for facial and body hair differed. Thus, individual differences in some self-reported characteristics, cultural factors, and aspects of personal experience may modulate differences in preferences for masculine traits.     

A comparison of heterosexual and homosexual mating preferences in personal advertisements

Human heterosexual mating preferences have been shown to conform to predictions drawn from evolutionary theory, with men and women adopting broadly distinct strategies. Attempts to reconcile sexual selection theory with homosexual behavior have been less consistent, however, and have largely focussed on addressing two alternative perspectives: (i) that gay men and lesbians display phenotypic traits in common with opposite sex heterosexual individuals or (ii) that homosexual individuals display sex-typical, or exaggerated sex-typical phenotypes. Testing these hypotheses is complicated by sampling issues involved in the study of human sexual orientation, since obtaining standardized and comparable samples of heterosexual and non-heterosexual mating preferences is a prerequisite to analysis. Here we present a comparison of homosexual and heterosexual mating strategies in men and women using a sample of 1733 personal (‘lonely hearts’) adverts gathered from a single source. We used principal components analysis in order to expose underlying structure of the advertisements, and identify three components involving relative emphasis placed on resources, physical attractiveness and personality when offering or seeking mate characteristics. While homosexual individuals are shown to resemble their own-sex heterosexual counterparts in terms of emphasis placed on partner physical attractiveness relative to partner personality, no clear pattern emerges in other aspects of advertisement strategy. Nevertheless, there we find no evidence in support of the hypothesis that homosexual men and women are intrinsically opposite-sex typical in terms of mate preferences.     

Men's revealed preference for their mates' ages

Both young and old men say that they are sexually attracted to young, fertile women, but older men tend to marry older women, including those who are peri- and post-menopausal. We assessed men's freely revealed preference for their mates' age using an unusual marriage phenomenon in South Korea: the practice in which men purchase their brides from developing countries. Presumably, the men's mate choice, at least regarding the brides' age, is unrestricted by women. We analyzed all first marriages reported in 2010–2014 in South Korea and compared men who married Korean brides (N = 1,088,457) with those who purchased their brides (N = 45,528); the age range of grooms and brides was 15–59. While the former exhibited the typical pattern where older men married older women, the latter, whether young or old, always married young, fertile women. This finding is consistent with men's stated preference for young, fertile women in mating and suggests that the typical pattern is generated by women's limiting role in mating.     

Aggressor or protector? Experiences and perceptions of violence predict preferences for masculinity

Women's preferences for masculine male partners have been explained in terms of heritable health. The evidence between masculinity and health, however, is controversial and therefore, alternative explanations for masculinity preferences reflecting income inequality and protection from violence have been proposed. This study thus aimed to test the effect of exposure to violence (i.e., experiences of robberies and perceptions of danger) on the individual masculinity preferences of women and men from the capital city of Colombia, Bogota, and surrounding small towns. One hundred and fifty three adult participants (mean age ± S.D. = 31.3 ± 9.4), all heterosexual, were surveyed in reference to indicators related to health (e.g., drinking water access, frequency of illnesses), access to media (e.g., television and internet access), education (e.g., graduating from high school, attending university) and exposure to violence (e.g., frequency of robberies/attacks, feelings of danger from violence). Participants made two alternatives, preference forced-choice for masculinized and feminized versions of both rural Salvadoran and European male faces. We found that men and women exposed to higher levels of violence preferred less masculine male faces, although this effect was only significant for women. Additionally, the effect of violence exposure was more relevant for the Salvadoran stimuli. Violence contributed significantly to explaining masculinity preferences after controlling for participant age, education, access to media, and health-related factors. These preferences may reflect women's strategy to avoid male violence demonstrating that exposure to violence matters in interpersonal attraction.     

Fertile women evaluate male bodies as more attractive,regardless of masculinity

Ovulatory cycle shifts in women's mate preferences have been documented for several physical and behavioral traits. Research suggests that, at peak fertility, women tend to prefer men with characteristics that reflect good genes for short-term sexual relationships. However, existing findings have been criticized for methodological flexibility and failing attempts to replicate core results. In a large (N = 157), pre-registered, within-subject study spanning two ovulatory cycles, we investigated cycle shifts in women's mate preferences for masculine bodies. Using a large set of natural stimuli, we found that when fertile, women's ratings of male bodies increased for sexual as well as for long-term attractiveness. Both effects were partially mediated by the estradiol-to-progesterone-ratio. Furthermore, moderation analyses revealed that both shifts were only evident in women in relationships, but not in singles. Contrary to previous findings, male masculine traits did not interact with cycle phase to predict attraction, indicating that women's preferential priorities do not shift. Taken together, our results do not support women's mate preference shifts, as assumed by the good genes ovulatory shift hypothesis, but are consistent with shifting motivational priorities throughout the cycle. Implications of these results for female estrus theories and methodological recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Anthropometry and somatotypes of competitive DanceSport participants: A comparison of three different styles

Anthropometry in dance and aesthetic sports has been shown to play an important role in selection and performance criteria. The aim of the present study was to examine variations in somatotype and anthropometry in three different competitive dance styles: DanceSport Standard, Latin American and Ten Dance. Anthropometry and somatotype data were collected from thirty couples competing in Standard (n = 24 individuals), Latin American (n = 14) and Ten Dance (n = 22) styles. A single tester (ISAK Level 1) carried out all anthropometric measurements using the Heath-Carter protocol and somatotypes were calculated using the Heath-Carter's decimal equations. Results indicated that the mean somatotype for the male dancers was 2.4–3.9–3.2, whilst for females it was 2.7–2.7–3.5. Factorial analysis reported Standard dancers scored significantly higher for ectomorphy, sitting height and arm span than Latin dancers (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis with the Standard dancer's International Ranking highlighted moderate positive correlation with mesomorphy (r = 0.434, p < 0.05) and negative correlation with ectomorphy (r = −0.546, p < 0.001). The findings of this study show that somatotypes differ among DanceSport participants by dance style. Compared with other aesthetic sports, male and female dancers were less mesomorphic and more ectomorphic. Standard dancers tend to be more ectomorphic with greater height, longer arm span and greater sitting height compared with Latin American dancers. Although Standard dancers were ectomorphic, those dancers who had higher mesomorphic ranking had higher places in the dancers’ international ranking.     

Euclidean distances discriminatively predict short-term and long-term attraction to potential mates

We tested the ability of a Euclidean algorithm to predict attraction to potential mates—a relatively upstream domain in the temporal sequence of the mating process. Participants in two studies reported their ideal mate preferences using a 23-item preference instrument. Separately, they rated their attraction to profiles of potential mates that varied on those 23 dimensions. Study 1 (N = 522) found that Euclidean distances predicted attraction to potential mates both in terms of (1) overall mate value and (2) unique mate value. Study 2 (N = 411) replicated these effects and further found that Euclidean mate values discriminatively predict between short- and long-term attraction. Across both studies, a Euclidean model outperformed a variety of alternative models for predicting attraction to potential mates. These results suggest that a Euclidean algorithm is a good model for how multiple preferences are integrated in mate choice.     

Consistency of mate choice in eye and hair colour: Testing possible mechanisms

Partner preferences are formed by several mechanisms, including an imprinting-like effect (parent-similarity) and homogamy (self-similarity). It is still unknown, however, whether these preferences remain stable throughout an individual’s lifetime. We have therefore tested the consistency of mate choice in eye and hair colour both in a shortand long-term context. In other words, we tested whether people systematically choose partners with a particular eye and hair colour. We asked 1,048 respondents to indicate the eye and hair colour of themselves, their opposite-sex and same-sex parent, and all the romantic partners they had in their lives. Our results show that people consistently choose partners of a particular eye and hair colour in both short- and long-term contexts, which suggests that people do have their ‘types’. Nevertheless, the consistency was significantly higher in a long-term context than in a short-term context. Furthermore, the eye colour of one's partner was predicted by the eye colour of one's opposite-sex as well as same-sex parent, but the strongest parental effect was found when both parents had same eye colour. There were no significant results for hair colour. Our results thus suggest that preferences for eye colour are determined by the imprinting-like effect rather than by homogamy, and that they remain stable over time. These findings also indirectly support an assumption of stability of this imprinting-like effect in humans, since people consistently choose partners with their opposite-sex parent's eye-colour.     

Body size and physique among Canadians of First Nation and European ancestry

The purpose of this study was to compare body size and physique among Canadians of Aboriginal (First Nation [FN]) and European ancestry (EA) from the northern Ontario communities of Temagami and Bear Island. The sample consisted of 130 FN and 494 EA participants including adults (20–75 years: 214 men, 234 women) and youth (5–19 years: 97 boys, 79 girls). Indicators of body size and physique included stature, the sitting height–to-stature ratio (SSR), body mass, BMI, estimated upper-arm muscle area, biacromial, bicristal, biepicondylar, and bicondylar breadths, and the Heath-Carter anthropometric somatotype (endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy). There were few differences in body size between FN and EA, with the exception of adult females. Adult FN females were significantly heavier and had greater bone breadths than EA women (P < 0.001). On the other hand, somatotype differed significantly between EA and FN by age and sex, except for 5–19-year-old females. Among boys and men, FN had greater endomorphy (P < 0.03), whereas FN men also had lower ectomorphy (P < 0.01). Among women, FN were significantly more endomorphic and mesomorphic and less ectomorphic (P < 0.001). Although results for 5–19-year-old females were not significant, they were in the same direction as the other groups (greater endomorphy). Forward stepwise discriminant function analyses indicated that endomorphy was the most important discriminator between FN and EA by age and sex. Am J Phys Anthropol 108:161–172, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Morphological characteristics and performance variables of women soccer players

The purpose of this study was to describe certain morphological characteristics of women soccer players and to examine aspects of training and performance. Twenty-two anthropometric sites were used in measurements of somatotype and body composition; flexibility, agility, anaerobic power, leg muscle power, and dynamic pulmonary functions were used as performance variables. Measurements were made on 17 professional athletes and 17 age-matched sedentary women who acted as controls. The women soccer players showed less fat content and less lean body mass than did the sedentary women. The mean somatotype for the soccer players was 3.07-3.55-2.43 and for the nonathletes was 3.57-3.35-2.90. Anaerobic power, leg muscle power, and agility in the athletes were higher than in the nonathletes, whereas no differences were found in flexibility and pulmonary functions (p > 0.05). The women soccer players showed more significantly mesomorphic, less endomorphic, least ectomorphic components and higher performance level than did the sedentary women.     

Partner preferences in the context of concurrency: What Himba want in formal and informal partners

Research on human mate preferences that distinguishes between short- and long-term partners has been conducted mainly in industrialized societies, where multiple mating and concurrent partnerships are stigmatized. However, cross-culturally, there is significant variation in the frequency and the level of acceptance of such relationships. Furthermore, the dichotomy between short- and long-term partnerships does not fully describe the diversity in actual extra-pair behavior, which ranges from single sexual encounters to multi-year love affairs. Here we present another comparison, between formal (marital) and informal (non-marital) partners, which we feel better captures this diversity. We assess the traits that men and women prefer in each type of partner among Himba pastoralists, where concurrent partnerships are common and accepted for both sexes. We situate our findings in relation to three main explanations for concurrent partnerships: dual-mating, trading-up and multiple investors. We find some similarities with the existing literature in the traits that are listed as important, including physical attractiveness, wealth and intelligence. Our evidence suggest that Himba men follow a dual strategy, preferring hard-working wives and attractive girlfriends. Women's preferences align most strongly with a multiple investors explanation, most clearly articulated through their preferences for wealthy husbands and generous boyfriends. Limited support is also found for a dual-mating strategy in women. These findings suggest that local cultural norms and ecologies modulate mate preferences in important ways.     

Why household inefficiency? An experimental approach to assess spousal resource distribution preferences in a subsistence population undergoing socioeconomic change

Two disparate views of the sexual division of labour have dominated the representation of intra-household resource allocations. These joint and separate interests views differ in their interpretation of the relative roles of men and women, and make different predictions about the extent to which marriage promotes economic efficiency (i.e. maximized household production). Using an experimental “distribution task” stipulating a trade-off between household efficiency and spousal equality in allocating surpluses of meat and money, we examine factors influencing spousal distribution preferences among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia (n = 53 couples). Our primary goal is to understand whether and how access to perfectly fungible and liquid resources – which increases with greater participation in market economies – shifts intra-household distribution preferences. We hypothesize that greater fungibility of money compared to meat results in greater squandering of money for individual fitness gain at a cost to the family. Money therefore requires costly strategies to insure against a partner's claims for consumption. Whereas nearly all Tsimane spouses prefer efficient meat distributions, we find a substantially reduced efficiency preference for money compared to meat controlling for potential confounders (adjusted OR = 0.087, 95% CI: 0.02–0.38). Reported marital conflict over paternal disinvestment is associated with a nearly 13-fold increase in odds of revealing a selfish money distribution preference. Selfish husbands are significantly more likely than other husbands to be paired with selfish wives. Lastly, Tsimane husbands and wives are more likely than Western Europeans to prefer an efficient money distribution, but Tsimane wives are more likely than Western European wives to exhibit a selfish preference. In sum, preferences for the distribution of household production surplus support joint and separate interests views of marriage; a hybrid approach best explains how ecological-, family-, and individual-level factors influence spousal preferences through their effects on perceptions of marginal gains within and outside the household.     

When to diversify,and with whom? Choosing partners among out-group strangers in lowland Bolivia

Evidence from the ethnographic and archaeological records reveals that humans often rely on out-group relationships for access to non-local resources and resource buffering. However, little is known about how actors choose out-group cooperative partners. The existing literature suggests that (in-group) partner choice is based on characteristics associated with greater cooperation (e.g., trustworthiness and productivity). Is out-group partner choice based on the same criteria as in-group? Because out-groups may be unique sources of resource access, we suggest that out-group partner choice should track characteristics of both the candidate partner and the partner's group that are associated with benefits for the actor. To assess partner choice, we employed a non-anonymous, one-shot economic game where participants could allocate money towards in-group and out-group strangers. Participants were from three populations of Bolivian horticulturalists (n = 200) that range in their market integration and their mobility, thus capturing variation in potential benefits to out-group cooperation. We find that individual-level qualities of prospective partners, such as wealth and trustworthiness, affect allocation behavior differently for in-group vs out-group prospective partners. While we find no consistent effects of perceived group qualities on a donor's giving to in-group and out-group members, the relevance of out-group market resource access for Tsimane' donors' allocations suggests that, at least when it comes to dividing a limited resource, qualities associated with a group can affect partner preference. Taken together, results provide insight into patterns of intergroup relationship building that have been crucial in the human lineage.     

How does the reliability of a model affect children's choice to learn socially or individually?

The effect of model reliability on children's choices to learn socially versus individually is pertinent to theories addressing cultural evolution and theories of selective trust. Here the effect of a reliable versus unreliable model on children's preferences to learn socially or individually was examined, as well as their subsequent imitation on a puzzle box task. Experiment One (N = 156) found children were more likely to ask to learn socially when presented with a novel task, after witnessing an unreliable rather than a reliable model. Experiment Two (N = 40) found children select a new unknown model, over the previously unreliable model, suggesting a preference to learn socially was created, although not specifically from the unreliable model. Experiment Three (N = 48) replicated children's learning preference in Experiment One with a new task, and showed children's attention is drawn towards other sources of social information (another adult model) when viewing an unreliable model, and also found a reliable model caused more fidelity of imitation. Together these results suggest that model unreliability causes greater social learning requests and attention to other, even novel, models when they are available. These findings evidence human children's strong propensity to learn socially compared with non-human animals; and suggest there is a more complicated relationship between learning preference, model reliability and selective trust than has been captured in previous research.     

BMI,hypertension and low bone mineral density in adult men and women

The aim of this work was to estimate the body mass index (BMI) at which risk of hypertension is lowest in men and women, while concurrently considering the protective role of adipose tissue in osteoporosis. Healthy, occupationally active inhabitants of the city of Wroc?aw, Poland, 1218 women and 434 men were studied. BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, bone mineral density (BMD) of the trabecular compartment and distal radius of the non-dominant hand were recorded. Overweight in young women (≤45 years) was associated with increased risk of hypertension, whereas the risk of low bone mineral was decreased for the same BMI. In older women (>45 years), a BMI > 27 was the threshold for increased risk of hypertension. In this age group, extremely slim women (BMI < 21) had the highest risk of low bone mineral density. In younger males (≤45 years), risk of hypertension was lowest among the thinnest subjects (BMI < 21). Increase in BMI over 21 kg/m² increased the risk of hypertension. The probability of low bone mineral density was the same in all BMI categories of men. In older men (>45 years), the thinnest (BMI < 21) had higher risk of hypertension. To begin from BMI = 25 kg/m², there was a monotonous increase in risk of hypertension in men. Higher risk for low bone mineral density was observed in older men with the BMI < 23.Among younger adults, risk of hypertension and low bone mineral density increase at BMI ≥ 21 kg/m² in men and BMI ≥ 23 kg/m² in women. Among older men and women, the BMI threshold was 27 kg/m².     

Sex and Age Differences in Mate-Selection Preferences

For nearly 70?years, studies have shown large sex differences in human mate selection preferences. However, most of the studies were restricted to a limited set of mate selection criteria and to college students, and neglecting relationship status. In this study, 21,245 heterosexual participants between 18 and 65?years of age (mean age 41) who at the time were not involved in a close relationship rated the importance of 82 mate selection criteria adapted from previous studies, reported age ranges for the oldest and youngest partner that they would find acceptable, and responded to 10 yes/no questions about a potential marriage partner. For nearly all mate selection criteria, women were found to be the more demanding sex, although men placed consistently more value on the physical attractiveness of a potential partner than women. Also, the effects of the participants?? age and level of education were nearly negligible. These results demonstrate the robustness of sex differences in mate selection criteria across a substantial age range.     

A high-powered replication study finds no effect of starting or stopping hormonal contraceptive use on relationship quality

A number of recent studies have implicated that incongruent use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) negatively affects various aspects of women's romantic relationships. It has been suggested that women with incongruent HC use (a discrepancy in HC use status between when they first met their current partner and the time of study participation) report less sexual satisfaction and higher jealousy scores compared to women with congruent HC use. A similar effect has also been hypothesized for general relationship satisfaction, and recent findings suggest that the association between HC incongruency and women's general relationship satisfaction is moderated by third-party ratings of facial attractiveness of the women's male partners. Using a large convenience sample (N = 948) of Finnish women, we attempted to replicate previously reported findings but found no support for the HC congruency hypothesis, despite excellent statistical power (≥98.7%) to detect previously reported effect sizes. Instead, after dividing our sample into four groups based on HC congruency/incongruency, we found that the largest differences in jealousy, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction scores tended to be found between women who were consistent HC users and consistent non-users (i.e., between women with different kinds of congruent HC use). We also detected a significant main effect of current HC use on jealousy. We conclude that HC congruency effects reported in previous studies may have spuriously arisen from unequal distributions of current HC users within congruent and incongruent HC user groups.     

布依族成人Heath-Carter法体型研究

本文运用Heath-Carter人体测量体型方法,研究了贵州省布依族494例(男259例,女235例)成人体型。研究结果表明:(1)布依族男性与女性平均体型均为偏内胚层的中胚层体型,男性均数为3·0—5·3—2·4,女性均数为4·3—4·9—1·9。(2)随年龄增长,布依族男性内因子值变化不大,中因子值增大,外因子值减小。但总的说来,男性体型各年龄组变化不大。(3)随年龄增长,女性内因子值与中因子值增大,外因子值减小。(4)布依族体型介于南方人群和北方人群之间。     

What Is an Attractive Body? Using an Interactive 3D Program to Create the Ideal Body for You and Your Partner

What is the ideal body size and shape that we want for ourselves and our partners? What are the important physical features in this ideal? And do both genders agree on what is an attractive body? To answer these questions we used a 3D interactive software system which allows our participants to produce a photorealistic, virtual male or female body. Forty female and forty male heterosexual Caucasian observers (females mean age 19.10 years, s.d. 1.01; 40 males mean age 19.84, s.d. 1.66) set their own ideal size and shape, and the size and shape of their ideal partner using the DAZ studio image manipulation programme. In this programme the shape and size of a 3D body can be altered along 94 independent dimensions, allowing each participant to create the exact size and shape of the body they want. The volume (and thus the weight assuming a standard density) and the circumference of the bust, waist and hips of these 3D models can then be measured. The ideal female body set by women (BMI = 18.9, WHR = 0.70, WCR = 0.67) was very similar to the ideal partner set by men, particularly in their BMI (BMI = 18.8, WHR = 0.73, WCR = 0.69). This was a lower BMI than the actual BMI of 39 of the 40 women. The ideal male body set by the men (BMI = 25.9, WHR = 0.87, WCR = 0.74) was very similar to the ideal partner set by the women (BMI = 24.5, WHR = 0.86, WCR = 0.77). This was a lower BMI than the actual BMI of roughly half of the men and a higher BMI than the other half. The results suggest a consistent preference for an ideal male and female body size and shape across both genders. The results also suggest that both BMI and torso shape are important components for the creation of the ideal body.     

Mothers and Fathers Perform More Mate Retention Behaviors than Individuals without Children

Human life history is unique among primates, most notably the extraordinary length of infant dependency and the formation of long-term pair-bonds. Men and women are motivated to remain pair-bonded to maintain the distribution of male-provisioned resources to a woman and her offspring, or to protect offspring from infanticide. Men and women can employ several strategies to retain their mate and prevent their partner from defecting from the relationship, including individual mate retention (behaviors performed alone) and coalitional mate retention (behaviors performed by a close ally). The current research investigates whether men and women with children perform more frequent mate retention behaviors than men and women without children. Participants (n = 1003) currently in a heterosexual romantic relationship completed a survey, reporting whether they had genetic children with their current romantic partner and how frequently they performed various mate retention behaviors. The results indicate that men (n = 262) and women (n = 234) who share genetic children with their current partner performed more frequent individual mate retention behaviors and requested more frequent coalitional mate retention behaviors than men (n = 280) and women (n = 227) who do not share genetic children with their current partner. The results are interpreted as they relate to hypotheses concerning the evolution of pair-bonding in humans, and mate retention behaviors more generally. Limitations of the current research are discussed, and profitable avenues for future research in this domain are suggested.