Preprint: Kordsmeyer & Penke, "The association of three indicators of developmental instability with mating success in humans"

Abstract

25Developmental instability (DI) has been proposed to relate negatively to aspects of evolutionary 26 fitness, like mating success. One suggested indicator is fluctuating asymmetry (FA), random deviations 27 from perfect symmetry in bilateral bodily traits. A meta-analytically robust negative association between 28 FA and number of lifetime sexual partners has been previously shown in men and women. We examined 29 the relationship between bodily FA across twelve traits and indicators of quantitative mating success in 30 284 individuals (141 males, age 19-30 years). Two further indicators of DI, minor physical anomalies 31 (MPAs) and asymmetry in palmar atd angles, were also assessed. For men, no significant associations 32 were detected, whereas for women, unexpected positive relationships of FA with the number of lifetime 33 sexual partners and one-night stands emerged. Thus, in a large sample and using a more highly 34 aggregated FA index, our study fails to replicate previous findings, though equivalence testing also did 35 not support deviation from previous meta-analytic estimates, especially for men. No associations were 36 found for MPAs and FA in atd angles in either sex.