The symptoms of resource scarcity: judgments of food and finances influence preferences for potential partners.
Male preferences for female body weight follow a consistent cross-cultural pattern such that in cultures with scarce resources, heavier women are preferred, whereas in cultures with abundant resources, thinner women are preferred. We offer a social-cognitive account for these findings based on the individual experience of resource scarcity. In four studies (N=1,176), we explored the possibility that this cross-cultural relationship emerges at the individual level; that is, we investigated whether situational feelings of resource scarcity predict personal preferences within a single culture. We operationalized intraindividual resource scarcity through feelings of financial and caloric dissatisfaction. Accordingly, we hypothesized-and found-that men who feel either poor or hungry prefer heavier women than men who feel rich or full. We discuss these findings in terms of how patterns of cross-cultural norms may be evinced at the individual level through an implicit psychological mechanism.
Nelson
Leif D
LD
Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University, NY, USA. leifnelson@stern.nyu.edu
Morrison
Evan L
EL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003380:Courtship; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011203:Poverty; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology