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The Interacting Effects of Height and Shoulder-to-Hip Ratio on Perceptions of Attractiveness, Masculinity, and Fighting Ability: Experimental Design and Ecological Validity Considerations

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Abstract

Previous research has shown that men’s height and upper body size are both associated with the perception of attractiveness, because they might be cues to men’s genetic fitness, fighting ability, and resource holding power. However, the combined effects of men’s height and upper body size have not been explored. In this research, across four studies (N = 659 heterosexual women), we systematically explored the perception of men’s muscular upper body at different heights on perceptions of attractiveness, masculinity, and fighting ability. Women rated male stimuli with heights ranging from 160 cm (5′3″) to 190 cm (6′3″) and three values of shoulder-to-hip ratio (SHR). In general, results showed that women considered taller men and men with larger SHR as more attractive, masculine, and better in fighting ability. However, a robust interaction between height and SHR was dependent on participants being exposed to variation on both variables and the ecological validity of the stimuli (silhouettes vs. more realistic rendered figures).

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship awarded to FP, and Grants to AK from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2016–04319), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (435-2019-0749).

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Farid Pazhoohi & Alan Kingstone

  2. Department of Psychology and Communication, Texas A&M International University, Laredo, TX, USA

    Ray Garza

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  1. Farid Pazhoohi
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Correspondence to Farid Pazhoohi.

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Pazhoohi, F., Garza, R. & Kingstone, A. The Interacting Effects of Height and Shoulder-to-Hip Ratio on Perceptions of Attractiveness, Masculinity, and Fighting Ability: Experimental Design and Ecological Validity Considerations. Arch Sex Behav 52, 301–314 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02416-2

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