Physical attractiveness: The influence of selected torso parameters

Horvath, T.

doi:10.1007/bf01542671

Cited by 86 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Studies of male preferences for female breast size have produced mixed results. Some studies have found that men rate line drawings of women with medium sized breasts as most attractive (Horvath, 1981;Wiggins, Wiggins, & Conger, 1968) while other studies have found that men prefer smaller breasts (Furnham, Swami, & Shah, 2006) or larger breasts (Singh & Young, 1995). The mixed responses from men reported in these studies suggest that further investigations of female breast size and sexual attractiveness would be valuable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Eye-Tracking of Men’s Preferences for Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Breast Size of Women

et al. 2009

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Studies of human physical traits and mate preferences often use questionnaires asking participants to rate the attractiveness of images. Female waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), breast size, and facial appearance have all been implicated in assessments by men of female attractiveness. However, very little is known about how men make fine-grained visual assessments of such images. We used eye-tracking techniques to measure the numbers of visual fixations, dwell times, and initial fixations made by men who viewed front-posed photographs of the same woman, computer-morphed so as to differ in her WHR (0.7 or 0.9) and breast size (small, medium, or large). Men also rated these images for attractiveness. Results showed that the initial visual fixation (occurring within 200 ms from the start of each 5 s test) involved either the breasts or the waist. Both these body areas received more first fixations than the face or the lower body (pubic area and legs). Men looked more often and for longer at the breasts, irrespective of the WHR of the images. However, men rated images with an hourglass shape and a slim waist (0.7 WHR) as most attractive, irrespective of breast size. These results provide quantitative data on eye movements that occur during male judgments of the attractiveness of female images, and indicate that assessments of the female hourglass figure probably occur very rapidly.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Eye-Tracking of Men’s Preferences for Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Breast Size of Women

et al. 2009

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“…In particular, as several studies have shown that broad shoulders contribute to perceptions of male attractiveness (e.g. Franzoi & Herzog, 1987;Horvath, 1981;Lavrakas, 1975;Lippa, 1983) and that males become jealous particularly when their rival has broad shoulders , also the characteristic 'broader shoulders' was included as a further specification of the characteristics 'better figure/body build' (for men), 'strength' and 'muscular'. In a similar vein, because both waist and hips strongly influence bodily attractiveness for women (Franzoi & Herzog, 1987;Horvath, 1981;Singh, 1993;Tassinary & Hansen, 1998), and because females become particularly jealous when their rival has a low waist-to-hip ratio , both these characteristics were included (as a specification of 'better figure' and slenderness for female participants).…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Franzoi & Herzog, 1987;Horvath, 1981;Lavrakas, 1975;Lippa, 1983) and that males become jealous particularly when their rival has broad shoulders , also the characteristic 'broader shoulders' was included as a further specification of the characteristics 'better figure/body build' (for men), 'strength' and 'muscular'. In a similar vein, because both waist and hips strongly influence bodily attractiveness for women (Franzoi & Herzog, 1987;Horvath, 1981;Singh, 1993;Tassinary & Hansen, 1998), and because females become particularly jealous when their rival has a low waist-to-hip ratio , both these characteristics were included (as a specification of 'better figure' and slenderness for female participants). Likewise, as research suggests that a light body build contributes heavily to female mate value whereas a heavy body build contributes to male attractiveness (Cohn et al, 1987;Fallon & Rozin, 1985), the characteristics 'is built lighter' (also as a specification of 'better figure' and slenderness for female participants), and 'is built heavier' were included (related to 'muscularity' and 'better body build' for male participants).…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in the jealousy‐evoking effect of rival characteristics

Dijkstra

Buunk

2002

Euro J Social Psych

108

104

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Four studies examined sex differences in the jealousy-evoking nature of rival characteristics. Study 1, among 130 undergraduates, made an inventory of all relevant rival characteristics that were spontaneously mentioned when asked about a rival to whom one's partner might feel attracted. On the basis of these findings, in Study 2, among 240 undergraduates, a questionnaire was constructed, containing 56 rival characteristics. A factor analysis distinguished five dimensions of rival characteristics, i.e. Social Dominance, Physical Attractiveness, Seductive Behaviors, Physical Dominance, and Social Status. In line with the predictions, men reported more jealousy when a rival was high in Social Dominance, Physical Dominance, and Social Status, whereas women reported more jealousy when a rival was high in Physical Attractiveness. Study 3 largely replicated these findings in a community sample of 144 heterosexuals. Study 4 showed that gay men (n ¼ 80) reported more jealousy than lesbian women (n ¼ 73) when the rival was high in Physical Dominance, and more jealousy than heterosexual men when the rival was high in Social Dominance. Lesbian women reported more jealousy than heterosexual women when the rival was high in Physical Attractiveness. In Studies 2-4, favorable rival characteristics evoked more jealousy among those high in Social Comparison Orientation, particularly among women.

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“…However, findings on the relationship between breast size and attractiveness are inconsistent; some studies have found that men rate line drawings of women with average-sized breasts as most attractive (Horvath, 1981;Wiggins, Wiggins, & Conger, 1968), while other studies have concluded that men prefer smaller breasts (Furnham, Swami, & Shah, 2006) or larger breasts (Singh & Young, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Eye Tracking of Men’s Preferences for Female Breast Size and Areola Pigmentation

et al. 2010

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Sexual selection via male mate choice has often been implicated in the evolution of permanently enlarged breasts in women. While questionnaire studies have shown that men find female breasts visually attractive, there is very little information about how they make such visual judgments. In this study, we used eye-tracking technology to test two hypotheses: (1) that larger breasts should receive the greatest number of visual fixations and longest dwell times, as well as being rated as most attractive; (2) that lightly pigmented areolae, indicative of youth and nubility, should receive most visual attention and be rated as most attractive. Results showed that men rated images with medium-sized or large breasts as significantly more attractive than small breasts. Images with dark and medium areolar pigmentation were rated as more attractive than images with light areolae. However, variations in breast size had no significant effect on eye-tracking measures (initial visual fixations, number of fixations, and dwell times). The majority of initial fixations during eye-tracking tests were on the areolae. However, areolar pigmentation did not affect measures of visual attention. While these results demonstrate that cues indicative of female sexual maturity (large breasts and dark areolae) are more attractive to men, patterns of eye movements did not differ based on breast size or areolar pigmentation. We conclude that areolar pigmentation, as well as breast size, plays a significant role in men's judgments of female attractiveness. However, fine-grained measures of men's visual attention to these morphological traits do not correlate, in a simplistic way, with their attractiveness judgments.

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Physical attractiveness: The influence of selected torso parameters

Cited by 86 publications

References 5 publications

Eye-Tracking of Men’s Preferences for Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Breast Size of Women

Eye-Tracking of Men’s Preferences for Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Breast Size of Women

Sex differences in the jealousy‐evoking effect of rival characteristics

Eye Tracking of Men’s Preferences for Female Breast Size and Areola Pigmentation

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