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Cited by 37Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorAnimal Behavior and ReproductionHypothalamic control of reproductive hormones

Do the Low WHRs and BMIs Judged Most Attractive Indicate Higher Fertility?

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Lassek, William D., Gaulin, Steven J. C.·2018·Evolutionary Psychology
DOI 10.1177/1474704918800063PMC PMC10480809
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Abstract

We examine the widely accepted view that very low waist-hip ratios and low body mass indices (BMIs) in women in well-nourished populations are judged attractive by men because these features reliably indicate superior fertility. In both subsistence and well-nourished populations, relevant studies of fertility do not support this view. Rather studies indicate lower fertility in women with anthropometric values associated with high attractiveness. Moreover, low maternal BMI predisposes to conditions that compromise infant survival. Consistent with these findings from the literature, new data from a large U.S. sample of women past reproductive age show that women with lower BMIs in the late teens had fewer live births, controlling for education, marital history, and race. They also had later menarche and earlier menopause compared with women with higher youth BMIs. In addition, data from the 2013 U.S. natality database show that mothers with lower prepregnancy BMIs have an increased risk of producing both low-birth-weight and preterm infants controlling for other relevant variables-conditions that would have adversely affected fitness over almost all of human evolution. Thus, a review of the relevant literature and three new tests fail to support the view that highly attractive women are more fertile.

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  • Investment into visceral fat-which is elevated in lean as well as obese women with PCOS-appears to enhance health and survival in harsh conditions of low nutrition and high infection.

    “Investment into visceral fat—which is elevated in lean as well as obese women with PCOS—appears to enhance health and survival in harsh conditions of low nutrition and high infection (West‐Eberhard, 2019; Lassek & Gaulin, 2018).”

    From Endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome are diametric disorders (2021) · cites this paper as Lassek & Gaulin, 2018

    The Introduction (page unavailable) describes body fat as a nutritional resource critical for survival and reproduction, which supports the general point about fat and survival under limited nutrition. Its WHR and Fertility section mentions PCOS only in relation to ovulation; it does not say that visceral fat is elevated in lean and obese women with PCOS or that visceral fat improves health and survival under high infection. (LLM, conf=0.79)

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Authors
Lassek, W. D., & Gaulin, S. J. C.
Affiliations
University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
Corresponding author
Lassek, William D.
ORCID
Venue
Evolutionary Psychology
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2018-10-01
Volume
16
Issue
4
Pages
1474704918800063-1474704918800063
ISSN
1474-7049 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1177/1474704918800063
PMC
PMC10480809
OpenAlex
W2895976445
Cited by
37
References
199
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1
FWCI
7.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Evolutionary Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
Keywords
waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index, female fertility, mate choice, female attractiveness, menarche timing, menopause timing, prepregnancy BMI, low birth weight, preterm birth, infant survival, evolutionary fitness, reproductive history
MeSH terms
Beauty, Female, Fertility, Humans, Middle Aged, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, United States, Body Mass Index, Waist-Hip Ratio

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