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Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Sexual Psychology and Behavior pp 297–322Cite as

Female Perceptions of Male Body Movements

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Part of the book series: Evolutionary Psychology ((EVOLPSYCH))

Abstract

The majority of studies on human physical appearance within the evolutionary psychology framework have focused on static two-dimensional representations of facial and body morphology. While such experiments are useful for testing people’s preferences and reactions to even subtle changes in physical features, there is an inherent limitation with regard to the ecological validity of these types of stimuli. Recent research on female perceptions of male body movements suggests that females derive similar cues of male “quality” from movement as from faces and bodies. Here we review studies on key biological and social characteristics that can be derived from body movements, with a focus on female perception of males, and present evidence for the assertion that male dance movements in particular affect female mate preferences. We support this by reporting preliminary empirical data of studies on (1) cross-cultural similarities and differences in female perceptions of male dance movements and (2) relationships between female perceptions of male dancing, running, and walking. Finally, we present some ideas for future research directions to stimulate the scientific investigation on the significance of male body movements in the context of inter- and intrasexual selection.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Brown et al., (2005) paper was retracted on December 19, 2013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Göttingen, Goβlerstraβe 14, 37073, Göttingen, Germany

    Bernhard Fink

  2. Courant Research Centre Evolution of Social Behavior, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Bernhard Fink

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

    Bettina Weege

  4. Courant Research Centre Evolution of Social Behavior, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

    Bettina Weege

  5. Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Nick Neave

  6. Escola Superior de Educação Física de Jundiaí, Jundiaí, Sao Paulo, Brazil

    Olival Cardoso Do Lago

  7. Escola Superior de Educação Física de Jundiaí, Rua Rodrigo Soares de Oliveira, Jundiaí, Sao Paulo, Brazil

    Bettina Ried

Authors
  1. Bernhard Fink
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  2. Bettina Weege
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  3. Nick Neave
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  4. Bettina Ried
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  5. Olival Cardoso Do Lago
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bernhard Fink .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

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Fink, B., Weege, B., Neave, N., Ried, B., Cardoso Do Lago, O. (2014). Female Perceptions of Male Body Movements. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Evolutionary Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0314-6_16

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