title: Voice and handgrip strength predict reproductive success in a group of indigenous African females.
abstract: Evolutionary accounts of human traits are often based on proxies for genetic fitness (e.g., number of sex partners, facial attractiveness). Instead of using proxies, actual differences in reproductive success is a more direct measure of darwinian fitness. Certain voice acoustics such as fundamental frequency and measures of health such as handgrip strength correlate with proxies of fitness, yet there are few studies showing the relation of these traits to reproduction. Here, we explore whether the fundamental frequency of the voice and handgrip strength account for differences in actual reproduction among a population of natural fertility humans. Our results show that both fundamental frequency and handgrip strength predict several measures of reproductive success among a group of indigenous Namibian females, particularly amongst the elderly, with weight also predicting reproductive outcomes among males. These findings demonstrate that both hormonally regulated and phenotypic quality markers can be used as measures of darwinian fitness among humans living under conditions that resemble the evolutionary environment of Homo sapiens. We also argue that these findings provide support for the Grandmother Hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York, United States of America. ja391266@albany.edu
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: R Nathan
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Pipitone
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorokowska
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sorokowski
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mberira
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.forename: Gordon G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Gallup
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044383:Black People; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009276:Namibia; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D014831:Voice / Q000502:physiology*