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Sex difference in attractiveness perceptions of strong and weak male walkers
Author(s) -
Fink Bernhard,
André Selina,
Mines Johanna S.,
Weege Bettina,
Shackelford Todd K.,
Butovskaya Marina L.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.22891
Subject(s) - attractiveness , dominance (genetics) , hum , psychology , physical attractiveness , perception , physical strength , masculinity , physical therapy , medicine , biology , art , biochemistry , neuroscience , performance art , gene , psychoanalysis , art history
Objectives Men and women accurately assess male physical strength from facial and body morphology cues. Women's assessments of male facial attractiveness, masculinity, and dominance correlate positively with male physical strength. A positive relationship also has been reported between physical strength and attractiveness of men's dance movements. Here, we investigate men's and women's attractiveness, dominance, and strength assessments from brief samples of male gait. Methods Handgrip strength (HGS) was measured in 70 heterosexual men and their gait was motion‐captured. Men and women judged 20 precategorized strong (high HGS) and weak (low HGS) walkers on attractiveness, dominance, and strength, and provided a measure of their own HGS. Results Both men and women judged strong walkers higher on dominance and strength than weak walkers. Women but not men judged strong walkers more attractive than weak walkers. These effects were independent of observers' physical strength. Conclusions Male physical strength is conveyed not only through facial and body morphology, but also through body movements. We discuss our findings with reference to studies suggesting that physical strength provides information about male quality in contexts of inter‐ and intrasexual selection. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:913–917, 2016. © 2016Wiley Periodicals, Inc.