title: Sexual orientation and shifts in preferences for a partner's body attributes in short-term versus long-term mating contexts.
abstract: This study assessed the effects of short- and long-term mating contexts on preferences for body characteristics of potential relationship partners in lesbians and heterosexual women. Lesbians (n = 41) rated figure drawings and computer-generated images of women that varied in body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and breast size; heterosexual women (n = 95) rated computer-generated images of men that varied in muscularity and body fat. Both lesbians and heterosexual women showed a shift in preferences toward more physically attractive partners for shortterm relationships. All body aspects were affected, except that heterosexual women did not show a preference shift for male body fat. The results were interpreted in terms of a mating trade-off strategy in which mate preferences are the consequence of cost/benefit analyses and suggest that preferences for physical attributes of sexual partners may be shared by members of the same sex regardless of sexual orientation.
authors: Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02481, USA. mlucas@wellesley.edu
authors: Margery
authors: M
authors: Lucas
authors: Elissa
authors: E
authors: Koff
authors: Samantha
authors: S
authors: Grossmith
authors: Robyn
authors: R
authors: Migliorini
mesh_terms: D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D001828:Body Image; D049628:Body Size; D001940:Breast; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio; D055815:Young Adult