Data from: Cues of upper body strength account for most of the variance in men’s bodily attractiveness

Evolution equips sexually reproducing species with mate choice mechanisms that function to evaluate the reproductive consequences of mating with different individuals. Indeed, evolutionary psychologists have shown that women’s mate choice mechanisms track many cues of men’s genetic quality and ability to invest resources in the woman and her offspring. One variable that predicted both a man’s genetic quality and his ability to invest is the man’s formidability (i.e. fighting ability or resource holding power/potential). Modern women, therefore, should have mate choice mechanisms that respond to ancestral cues of a man’s fighting ability. One crucial component of a man’s ability to fight was his upper body strength. Here we test how important physical strength is to men’s bodily attractiveness. Three sets of photographs of men’s bodies were shown to raters who estimated either their physical strength or their attractiveness. Estimates of physical strength determined over 70% of men’s bodily attractiveness. Additional analyses showed that tallness and leanness were also favored, and – along with estimates of physical strength – accounted for 80% of men’s bodily attractiveness. Contrary to popular theories of men’s physical attractiveness, there was no evidence of a non-linear effect; the strongest men were the most attractive in all samples.演化赋予有性生殖物种择偶机制，用以评估与不同个体交配所带来的繁殖后果。事实上，进化心理学家已证实，女性的择偶机制会追踪诸多与男性遗传质量、以及为伴侣与后代投入资源的能力相关的线索。能够同时预判男性遗传质量与资源投入能力的一项核心变量，是男性的支配力（formidability，即打斗能力或资源掌控潜力）。因此，现代女性的择偶机制应当对男性打斗能力的祖先演化线索做出响应。男性打斗能力的一项关键构成要素，便是其上肢力量。本研究旨在检验身体力量对男性躯体吸引力的重要程度。研究向评分者展示了三组男性躯体照片，评分者需分别评估照片中男性的身体力量或躯体吸引力。分析结果显示，身体力量评分可解释男性躯体吸引力超70%的变异。额外分析表明，身高与瘦度同样受到偏好；将其与身体力量评分结合后，二者可解释男性躯体吸引力80%的变异。与主流的男性身体吸引力理论相悖，本研究未发现非线性效应的证据：在所有样本中，上肢力量最强的男性均拥有最高的躯体吸引力。