RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Strategic Pluralism Theory contends that human mating strategies are calibrated toward short-term (ST) or long-term (LT) mating according to the expression of condition-dependent traits and characteristics of the social and physical environment. Traits reflecting the effects of testosterone have been considered condition-dependent traits that provide information about the calibration of male mating strategy. We investigated the relationship of muscle mass and facial masculinity with attitudes and behaviors reflecting ST and LT mating tactics. METHODS: We measured skeletal muscle mass (SMM) through bioelectrical impedance and facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) in a sample of Chilean men (n = 206; mean age = 22.52 ± 4.65 SD), and collected information about sociosexual attitudes and past sexual behavior. RESULTS: Our results showed an interaction effect of SMM and fWHR on unrestricted (but not restricted) sociosexual attitudes and past sexual behavior. Individuals with a consistent expression of both traits (ie, high SMM and fWHR or low SMM and fWHR) reported higher levels of unrestricted sociosexual attitudes and a greater number of lifetime and previous-year sexual partners. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the intensity and consistency of expression of body and facial masculinity is important in signaling male mating tactics and sociosexual attitudes.
Assuntos
Atitude , Face/anatomia & histologia , Masculinidade , Músculo Esquelético/fisiologia , Comportamento Sexual/psicologia , Testosterona/metabolismo , Adolescente , Adulto , Chile , Humanos , Masculino , Adulto JovemRESUMO
In women with lightly pigmented skin in particular, facial skin color homogeneity decreases with age, primarily due to chronic exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), leading to a decrease in perceived health and attractiveness. Perception of female skin may be influenced by continuous exposure to, and thus familiarity with, age-related changes in visible skin condition in a given society. Men and women of two traditional societies, the Maasai (Tanzania) and the Tsimane' (Bolivia), unfamiliar with lighter colored skin, judged images of British women's facial skin for age, health, and attractiveness. In both samples, images with homogeneous skin color (from the cheeks of younger women) were judged to be younger and healthier and received a stronger preference than corresponding images with heterogeneous skin color (from older women). We suggest that (i) human sensitivity for quality-related information from facial skin color distribution is universal and independent of any known age-dependent variation in skin in a given population and (ii) skin discoloration is universally associated with less positive judgment.
Assuntos
Beleza , Face , Pigmentação da Pele , Percepção Visual , População Branca , Mulheres , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Bolívia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Tanzânia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Digit ratio (2D:4D) is a putative marker for prenatal testosterone and is correlated with performance in many sports. Low 2D:4D has been linked to strength but the evidence is mixed and strength is also influenced by mass, testosterone, and behavioural factors. It has been hypothesised that the 2D:4D-strength correlation may be strongest in challenge conditions when short-term changes occur in steroid hormones. AIMS: We tested this suggestion in men. STUDY DESIGN: We used a cross-over study design with a challenge (an aggressive video of rugby tackles) and control (a blank screen) condition. SUBJECTS: 89 healthy men. OUTCOME MEASURES: Finger lengths (2nd and 4th for both hands), hand-grip strength (HGS), testosterone (T), cortisol (C), aggression (Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire) and personality type (Ten Item Personality Measure). In both conditions participants provided saliva samples (for hormone assays). RESULTS: In the challenge condition there was a highly significant increase in HGS, and modest changes in T, physical aggression and emotional stability. HGS correlated negatively with left hand 2D:4D. In a multiple regression, left hand 2D:4D was negatively related to HGS and emotional stability was positively related to HGS. In the control condition HGS was not correlated with 2D:4D. In a multiple regression, BMI, physical aggression, and emotional stability were significantly related to HGS. CONCLUSIONS: 2D:4D is a negative correlate of strength in challenge situations. This finding may in part explain associations between 2D:4D and sports performance.
Assuntos
Agressão/fisiologia , Dedos/anatomia & histologia , Força da Mão/fisiologia , Hidrocortisona/análise , Personalidade/fisiologia , Testosterona/análise , Adolescente , Adulto , Desempenho Atlético , Estudos Cross-Over , Desenvolvimento Fetal/fisiologia , Humanos , Masculino , Saliva/química , Caracteres Sexuais , Reino Unido , Adulto JovemRESUMO
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.
Assuntos
Estatura , Imagem Corporal/psicologia , Comportamento de Escolha , Parceiros Sexuais/psicologia , Adulto , Bolívia , Etnopsicologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Comportamento Sexual/psicologia , Tanzânia , OcidenteRESUMO
In a study of degree of lower body symmetry in 73 elite Jamaican track and field athletes we show that both their knees and ankles (but not their feet) are-on average-significantly more symmetrical than those of 116 similarly aged controls from the rural Jamaican countryside. Within the elite athletes, events ranged from the 100 to the 800 m, and knee and ankle asymmetry was lower for those running the 100 m dashes than those running the longer events with turns. Nevertheless, across all events those with more symmetrical knees and ankles (but not feet) had better results compared to international standards. Regression models considering lower body symmetry combined with gender, age and weight explain 27 to 28% of the variation in performance among athletes, with symmetry related to about 5% of this variation. Within 100 m sprinters, the results suggest that those with more symmetrical knees and ankles ran faster. Altogether, our work confirms earlier findings that knee and probably ankle symmetry are positively associated with sprinting performance, while extending these findings to elite athletes.