A narrow waist versus broad shoulders

The main findings of this study is that women felt threatened by other women "rivals" based on their waist-to-hip ratio throughout their lives. On the other hand, men paid attention to the shoulder-to-hip ratio of other male "rivals" more when they were younger. So, it seems that as men grow older, they pay less attention to overt signs of masculinity as threatening, whereas women continue to do so. Moreover, women with low WHR (i.e., attractive) paid more attention to this feature than other women. An interesting finding is that:

Remarkably, among men, the low WHR-low SHR rival, that is, the rival with a linear and slender body build, evoked the highest level of jealousy and was perceived as the most attractive and the most socially dominant of all rivals.

Personality and Individual Differences (Article in Press)

A narrow waist versus broad shoulders: Sex and age differences in the jealousy-evoking characteristics of a rival’s body build


Bram P. Buunk

Abstract

This study examined the role of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and shoulder-to-hip ratio (SHR) of the rival in evoking jealousy in an adult sample of 70 men and 69 women. Women paid more attention to the rivals’ waist, hips, and hair, and men paid more attention to the rivals’ shoulders. Potential rivals with a low as opposed to a high waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) evoked more jealousy in women than in men, particularly among women with a low WHR. Among women, the low WHR-high SHR rival the V-type body build evoked the highest level of jealousy and was perceived as most attractive and the most socially and physically dominant. In contrast, among men the low WHR-low SHR rival, that is, a rival with a linear and slender body build, evoked the highest level of jealousy and was perceived as the most attractive and socially dominant, but not as the most physically dominant. As men were older, the SHR of the rival was a less important factor in evoking jealousy, whereas among women jealousy in response to the rival’s WHR was not affected by age.

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