title: Preference for women's body mass and waist-to-hip ratio in Tsimane' men of the Bolivian Amazon: biological and cultural determinants.
abstract: The issue of cultural universality of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) attractiveness in women is currently under debate. We tested men's preferences for female WHR in traditional society of Tsimane'(Native Amazonians) of the Bolivian rainforest (N = 66). Previous studies showed preferences for high WHR in traditional populations, but they did not control for the women's body mass.We used a method of stimulus creation that enabled us to overcome this problem. We found that WHR lower than the average WHR in the population is preferred independent of cultural conditions. Our participants preferred the silhouettes of low WHR, but high body mass index (BMI), which might suggest that previous results could be an artifact related to employed stimuli. We found also that preferences for female BMI are changeable and depend on environmental conditions and probably acculturation (distance from the city). Interestingly, the Tsimane' men did not associate female WHR with age, health, physical strength or fertility. This suggests that men do not have to be aware of the benefits associated with certain body proportions - an issue that requires further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sorokowski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anthropology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kościński
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland; Smell and Taste Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorokowska
authors.affiliation: Centro Boliviano de Investigación y de Desarrollo Socio Integral, San Borja, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huanca
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001504:Beauty; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D001838:Bolivia; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D065947:Rainforest; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio; D055815:Young Adult