Health, attractiveness, and marriageability among Aka hunter-gatherer and Ngandu farmer adolescents and young adults in the Central African Republic

This study investigates how adolescents from two culturally distinct
Central African communities—the Aka hunter-gatherers and Ngandu
farmers—perceive health, attractiveness, and marriageability, focusing on
how local socio-ecological contexts shape perceptions of health,
attraction, and mate preferences. The research examines how body mass
index and parasite load relate to perceived health and attractiveness.
Seventy-five adolescents (39 Aka and 36 Ngandu) evaluated photographs of
peers for health, attractiveness, and marriagability, while physical
health was objectively measured using anthropometric and parasitological
data. Regression analyses revealed that BMI was a consistent and
significant predictor of both perceived health and attractiveness, whereas
total parasite load did not significantly influence either outcome.
Notably, perceptions of health strongly predicted attractiveness and
marriageability, but not vice versa. Ethnic and gender differences in
perception were also found: Aka adolescents prioritized social traits like
kindness and cooperation, while Ngandu participants emphasized physical
cleanliness and robustness. Male raters showed more variability and
stricter standards, particularly when evaluating females. These findings
underscore the role of robust phenotypic features, such as BMI, in
determining how health, beauty, and reproductive value are interpreted.
This research contributes to understanding how evolutionarily evolved
preferences and cultural contexts shape perceptions of health, attraction,
and marriageability.