Men consistently find women the most attractive when they have a low waist-to-hip ratio — commonly referred to as an hourglass figure. New research provides evidence that men have this preference because it is a reliable signal of physical and sexual maturity in young women who have not been pregnant.
The findings appear in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.
“Because evolution depends entirely on individual success in reproducing, anything to do with reproduction, such as choosing a mate, should be optimized by natural selection,” explained study author William D. Lassek, a researcher in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
“Thus understanding the reasons why men find certain women attractive should help us better understand human evolution. The two elements which have been the subject of most research are women’s waist/hip ratios (WHRs) and body mass indices (BMIs).”
In research published last year in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, Lassek and his colleagues failed to find evidence that low WHRs and low BMIs were associated with higher fertility in women.
For their new study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 12,000 female participants in two National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, a series of studies that assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States.
WHRs tended to be the smallest around the ages of both adult stature and sexual maturity. In other words, women with low WHRs tended to have a long reproductive lifespan ahead of them.
The researchers also found that younger women with lower waist-to-stature ratios tended to have higher levels of omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in their stored fat, an important nutrient during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
“For the past 30 years the explanation for male preferences that has generally been accepted is that they look for signs of health and fertility, but we have shown that the very small waist sizes and low BMIs linked with attractiveness in well-nourished women do not indicate better health or fertility,” Lassek told PsyPost.
“What they do indicate is that a woman is likely to be young (15-19), has never been pregnant, and has maximal stores of brain building fatty acids. In groups where women have less food and are heavier in their teens, men prefer the higher BMIs that indicate youth. The preference of men for younger women will probably come as no surprise to most women.”
“Highly attractive women tend to be 2-4 inches taller than average. We are working on trying to understand why. Also we believe that young women with attractive WHRs and BMIs may be better able to survive a first pregnancy when modern obstetric care is unavailable,” Lassek added.
The study, “Evidence supporting nubility and reproductive value as the key to human female physical attractiveness“, was authored by William D. Lassek and Steven J. C. Gaulin.
FAQs
One feature that appears to influence male mate preferences is female waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). At least in Western countries, it is generally found that men are attracted to females with a relatively low WHR (i.e., an hourglass-shaped body; Singh, 1993).
Why are men attracted to a small waist? ›
In fact, science shows that men are highly attracted to women with good curves. Scottish researchers found that the slimmer a woman's waist, the more satisfied her partner and the less likely he is to suffer from erectile dysfunction. Is that the only reason? Wide hips are a sexually dimorphic trait.
What waist-to-hip ratio do men find attractive? ›
Healthy women have ratios of 0.67 to 0.80 while healthy men have 0.80 to 0.95. For attractiveness, ideal for men is 0.90 and female ideal is 0.7 (for Western populations only). WHR increases with each pregnancy and increases slightly with age.
Why do guys find hourglass figures attractive? ›
Scientists claim it's in men's nature to prefer this body type because having an hourglass figure is a sign that a woman is young, has never been pregnant and has "key reproductive resources".
Why is a low waist-to-hip ratio attractive? ›
The low proportion of waist to hip size in females is a unique and adaptive human feature. In contemporary human populations, the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is negatively associated with women's health, fecundity, and cognitive ability. It is, therefore, hypothesized that men will prefer women with low WHR.
Why are men attracted to hips? ›
Research across a variety of cultures has demonstrated that men typically find the curvaceous female form sexually attractive. Other studies have shown that wide hips in women are associated with health and reproductive potential, so the attraction makes evolutionary sense.
What body size are men most attracted to? ›
In well-nourished populations, it has been consistently found that the most preferred BMIs are around 18–20 (Crossley et al., 2012; Tovée & Cornelissen, 2001; Wang et al., 2015), which are far below the mean or modal values of typical young women in these populations (Lassek and Gaulin, 2016, Lassek and Gaulin, 2018b).
Is a small waist attractive for men? ›
The answer is that the V-taper is quite popular. A small waist accentuates a man's back, shoulders, and chest. It makes them look bigger and stronger, and being fit and strong is often considered attractive to women.
Why do guys like touching a girls waist? ›
The waist is a place where the whole body is just a movement or two of the hand away. Its close to a woman's private areas, but not so close that it makes it wrong to have your hands there early on in a relationship. It also gives you the chance to bring them close to you in a very intimate way.
What is the ideal waistline for a male? ›
What should your waist measurement be? For men, a waist circumference below 94cm (37in) is 'low risk', 94–102cm (37-40in) is 'high risk' and more than 102cm (40in) is 'very high'. For women, below 80cm (31.5in) is low risk, 80–88cm (31.5-34.6in) is high risk and more than 88cm (34.6in) is very high.
There is no particular hip size that is the most attractive. Instead, hip sizes about 1.4 to 1.5 times the waist size are considered the most appealing. For example, for a person having a waist circumference between 24 to 28 inches, a hip size of 36 inches would be regarded as the most attractive.
What is the most attractive height to waist ratio? ›
60 to . 70 are more consistently rated as highly attractive by men. But the new study assessed the physical attractiveness of 106 college women, 673 Playboy Playmates of the Month and 490 images of imaginary women — and concluded that waist size was the key determinant of female bodily attractiveness.
Why do men love curves? ›
Another one of the main reasons men like curvy women is actually biological and subconscious. Men associate wide hips and large breasts with fertility, they always have. A woman with curves was said to be good for child bearing and men associate curves with that notion.
What male body part do girls find most attractive? ›
- A nice set of abs. In a (not-so-surprising) study conducted by Western Illinois University, women rated abs as the sexiest muscle on a man's body, ThePostGame.com reports. ...
- A generous posterior. ...
- Wide, strong shoulders. ...
- A ripped, tapered back. ...
- Defined, strong arms. ...
- A chiseled chest. ...
- A stong jaw. ...
- A mysterious mouth.
The body shape that men generally find attractive in women has a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7. That's the ratio of a 70cm waist and 100cm hips, though the study found that size wasn't as important as the proportions. Men like curves.
Is it better to have a high or low waist-to-hip ratio? ›
WHO defines abdominal obesity in men as a waist-to-hip ratio of at least 0.90. For women, it's a ratio of 0.85 or more. A ratio higher than 1.0 for either sex means a much higher chance of health problems.
What waist size is most attractive to men? ›
Research shows that men prefer an 'hourglass' figure
An article published in Eye on Psi Chi discussed findings from a study which found that men are most attracted to women with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.70 (i.e., the waist is approximately 30% narrower than their hips).
What is the most attractive waist to chest ratio for men? ›
One of Swami's studies shows that women prefer a chest-to-waist ratio of 1.4 instead of one in which the two measures are closer to each other. (It's a smaller ratio than 1.6 since your chest is narrower than your shoulders.) The bottom line: When women look at men's torsos, the V shape is victorious.
What is the golden waist-to-hip ratio? ›
There are two golden ratios for a woman's body. One is the ratio of waist and hip size which is 0.7:1. For example, if her waist size is 24 inches, her hips should be 34 or 35 inches to make her look ideally beautiful. It plays a key role as it draws the main curve of the body.
