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Fluctuating asymmetry and preferences for sex-typical bodily characteristics

  • William Brown
    ,
  • M.E. Price
    ,
  • J. Kang
    ,
  • N. Pound
    ,
  • Y. Zhao
    ,
  • H. Yu
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Abstract

Body size and shape seem to have been sexually selected in a variety of species, including humans, but little is known about what attractive bodies signal about underlying genotypic or phenotypic quality. A widely used indicator of phenotypic quality in evolutionary analyses is degree of symmetry (i.e., fluctuating asymmetry, FA) because it is a marker of developmental stability, which is defined as an organism's ability to develop toward an adaptive end-point despite perturbations during its ontogeny. Here we sought to establish whether attractive bodies signal low FA to observers, and, if so, which aspects of attractive bodies are most predictive of lower FA. We used a 3D optical body scanner to measure FA and to isolate size and shape characteristics in a sample of 77 individuals (40 males and 37 females). From the 3D body scan data, 360° videos were created that separated body shape from other aspects of visual appearance (e.g., skin color and facial features). These videos then were presented to 87 evaluators for attractiveness ratings. We found strong negative correlations between FA and bodily attractiveness in both sexes. Further, sex-typical body size and shape characteristics were rated as attractive and correlated negatively with FA. Finally, geometric morphometric analysis of joint configurations revealed that sex-typical joint configurations were associated with both perceived attractiveness and lower FA for male but not for female bodies. In sum, body size and shape seem to show evidence of sexual selection and indicate important information about the phenotypic quality of individuals.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 12938-12943

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Volume 105, Issue 35)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 23/05/2012

Publication status

Published - 23/05/2012

ISSN

0027-8424

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/225573
  • Scopus: 51349153852

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