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hi everyone,
i've heard a lot of discussions lately regarding 'what size', 'what shape', etc women want in a bodybuilding male and thought i should use some research, rather than anecdotes, to inform the discussions.
not to sound cocky, but i am going to "definitively" answer this question with science. in a very large study (described in detail below), women greatly preferred muscular men to less muscular men. more germane to this board is that they desired muscular men with waist-to-shoulder ratios of 0.6. this is the magic number you should attain if you're interested in women's opinions. this ratio has been replicated in further studies. obviously, some of you will chime in that some girls like big guys, some like smaller guys, etc., but if you want to play the odds, that ratio is critical.
so, my 34/56 dimension is reasonably close...but this was by accident. i've always enjoyed lifting and think i do only 10% of it b/c of women.
if you have any questions about interpersonal attraction, beauty, evolutionary psychology, etc., please feel free to ask away. i have a PhD in a field that embraces said topics and will give the (likely) best answer science can afford us.
best,
k
Five questionnaire studies asked women to rate the attractiveness of outline drawings of male figures
that varied in somatotype, body proportions, symmetry, and in distribution of trunk hair. In Study 1,
back-posed figures of mesomorphic (muscular) somatotypes were rated as most attractive, followed by
average, ectomorphic (slim), and endomorphic (heavily built) figures by both British and Sri Lankan
women. In Study 2, computer morphing of somatotypes to produce an intergraded series resulted
in a graded response in terms of perceived attractiveness which mirrored the findings of Study 1.
In Study 3, back-posed figures were manipulated in order to change waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) and
waist-to-shoulder ratios (WSR). A WHR of 0.8–0.9 and a WSR of 0.6 were rated as most attractive
and these effects were more pronounced when modeling mesomorphic figures. In Study 4, symmetric
figures of a mesomorphic somatotype were rated as less attractive than a normal (asymmetric) version
of the same man. Study 5 showed that presence of trunk hair had a marked, positive effect upon
women’s ratings of attractiveness for both mesomorphic and endomorphic male figures.Women also
judged figures with trunk hair as being older and they consistently rated endomorphic figures as being
older than mesomorphs. These results are consistent with effects of sexual selection upon visual
signals that advertise health, physical prowess, age, and underlying endocrine condition in the human
male.
Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 32, No. 1, February 2003, pp. 29–39 ( C 2003)
Masculine Somatotype and Hirsuteness as Determinants
of Sexual Attractiveness to Women
Alan F. Dixson, D.Sc.,1,4 Gayle Halliwell,2 Rebecca East,2 Praveen Wignarajah,3
and Matthew J. Anderson, Ph.D.1
i've heard a lot of discussions lately regarding 'what size', 'what shape', etc women want in a bodybuilding male and thought i should use some research, rather than anecdotes, to inform the discussions.
not to sound cocky, but i am going to "definitively" answer this question with science. in a very large study (described in detail below), women greatly preferred muscular men to less muscular men. more germane to this board is that they desired muscular men with waist-to-shoulder ratios of 0.6. this is the magic number you should attain if you're interested in women's opinions. this ratio has been replicated in further studies. obviously, some of you will chime in that some girls like big guys, some like smaller guys, etc., but if you want to play the odds, that ratio is critical.
so, my 34/56 dimension is reasonably close...but this was by accident. i've always enjoyed lifting and think i do only 10% of it b/c of women.
if you have any questions about interpersonal attraction, beauty, evolutionary psychology, etc., please feel free to ask away. i have a PhD in a field that embraces said topics and will give the (likely) best answer science can afford us.
best,
k
Five questionnaire studies asked women to rate the attractiveness of outline drawings of male figures
that varied in somatotype, body proportions, symmetry, and in distribution of trunk hair. In Study 1,
back-posed figures of mesomorphic (muscular) somatotypes were rated as most attractive, followed by
average, ectomorphic (slim), and endomorphic (heavily built) figures by both British and Sri Lankan
women. In Study 2, computer morphing of somatotypes to produce an intergraded series resulted
in a graded response in terms of perceived attractiveness which mirrored the findings of Study 1.
In Study 3, back-posed figures were manipulated in order to change waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) and
waist-to-shoulder ratios (WSR). A WHR of 0.8–0.9 and a WSR of 0.6 were rated as most attractive
and these effects were more pronounced when modeling mesomorphic figures. In Study 4, symmetric
figures of a mesomorphic somatotype were rated as less attractive than a normal (asymmetric) version
of the same man. Study 5 showed that presence of trunk hair had a marked, positive effect upon
women’s ratings of attractiveness for both mesomorphic and endomorphic male figures.Women also
judged figures with trunk hair as being older and they consistently rated endomorphic figures as being
older than mesomorphs. These results are consistent with effects of sexual selection upon visual
signals that advertise health, physical prowess, age, and underlying endocrine condition in the human
male.
Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 32, No. 1, February 2003, pp. 29–39 ( C 2003)
Masculine Somatotype and Hirsuteness as Determinants
of Sexual Attractiveness to Women
Alan F. Dixson, D.Sc.,1,4 Gayle Halliwell,2 Rebecca East,2 Praveen Wignarajah,3
and Matthew J. Anderson, Ph.D.1
