Sex difference in attractiveness perceptions of strong and weak male walkers

Abstract

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.

Do the Maasai perceive weak walkers to be stronger and more attractive than strong walkers? A re-analysis of Fink et al . (2019)

“…Fink et al [1] report that Maasai men and women rated strong walkers as both weaker and less attractive than weak walkers: a surprising reversal of the effects found in previous research [2,3]. These data from a non-WEIRD population are highly valuable for assessing the universality gait perception [4].…”

Assessment of physical strength from gait: data from the Maasai of Tanzania

“…Recent studies of the perception of male physical strength (as indexed by handgrip strength, HGS) from gait showed videos of gender-neutral, featureless virtual characters, animated with the motion-captured gait of strong and weak (British) men to (German) male and female panelists. Both sexes judged strong walkers higher on dominance and strength than weak walkers [12]. Women (but not men) judged strong walkers more attractive than weak walkers, and these effects were independent of observers' physical strength.…”

“…Participants' HGS (kgf; 1 kgf ¼ 9.81 N)) was measured with a hand dynamometer, twice for each hand, and the means of the two left and two right measurements were used for assignment to either the 'strong' or 'weak' walker group [12,13]. The videos of the 10 strongest (mean HGS (M HGS ) ¼ 48.6, s.d.…”

“…Thus, physical strength may be a Darwinian fitness indicator in men [6]. Male physical strength can be accurately assessed from facial and body morphology [7][8][9], vocal cues [10,11] and body movements, such as gait [12,13] and dance [14 -16]. Most of these studies have assessed men in industrialized societies, although the significance of male physical strength has also been documented for Hadza hunter -gatherers in Tanzania [17].…”

Reply to Durkee: ‘Do the Maasai perceive weak walkers to be stronger and more attractive than strong walkers? A re-analysis of Fink et al . (2019)’

“…Research with Western samples suggests that gait conveys information about male physical strength, as assessed by HGS. Women more than men judged the gait of strong walkers higher on attractiveness (and strength) [2,3]. These findings were obtained with samples from Chile, Germany and Russia by collecting assessments of featureless virtual characters, animated with the motion-captured walk movements of young British men, pre-categorized into strong versus weak walkers based on HGS.…”