The last decade has witnessed an exciting change in our understanding of what makes the human body beautiful, and why certain bodies are idealised over others. The traditional idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, with preferences varying idiosyncratically from person to person, has been challenged by evolutionary psychologists, who argue that human beings share an eye for an attractive body. Yet, not everyone is in agreement: cross-cultural evidence suggests that there may indeed be differences in what is termed an attractive body. Moreover, social psychologists stress that preferences emerge early in development, with children as young as four or five years old mirroring core cultural assumptions about what is an attractive body. These findings raise intriguing questions about bodily attractiveness; just what are these preferences, why do we have them, and how did we get them? This volume brings together seminal work from evolutionary and sociocultural perspectives, to explore these questions in a fresh perspective.
Part I: INTRODUCTION
Mutual and Partaken Bliss: Introducing the Science of Bodily Beauty; V.Swami & A.Furnham
Part 2: METHODOLOGICAL CRITIQUES
Waist-to-hip Ratios and Female Attractiveness; Comparing Apples, Oranges and Pears; D. McBurney & S.Streeter
The Volume-height Index as a Body Attractiveness Index; J.Fan
Methodological Issues in Studies in Female Attractiveness; M.Bateson,P.Cornelissen & M.Tovee
Part 3: ATTRACTIVENESS RESEARCH ACROSS CULTURES
An Evolutionary Perspective on Male Preferences for Female Body Shape; I.Scott, G.Bentley, M.Tovee, F. Uddin Ahamed & K.Magid
Masculinity, Culture and the Paradox of the Lek; D.Yu, S.Proulx & G.Shepard
Healthy Body Equals Beautiful Body? Changing Perceptions of Health and Attractiveness with Shifting Socioeconomic Status; M.Tovee, A.Furnham & V.Swami
Part 4: THEORY DEVELOPMENT; EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVES
The Shaping of Women's Bodies: Men's Choice of Fertility or Heat Stress Avoidance? D.Einon
Interpersonal Metaperception: The Importance of Compatibility in the Aesthetic Appreciation of Bodily Cues; K.Johnson & L.Tassinary
Mate Preferences in Social Cognitive Context: When Environmental and Personal Change Leads to Predictable Cross-Cultural Variation; L.Nelson ,T.Pettijohn & J.Galak
Part 5: THEORY DEVELOPMENT: SOCIOCULTURAL PERSEPCTIVES
The Roles of Stereotypes and Group Norms on Perceptions of Bodily Attractiveness; T.Hildebrandt & J.Latner
Feminism and Body Image; L.Smolak & S.Murnen
The Impact of Western Beauty Ideals on the Lives of Women: A Sociocultural Perspective; R.Calogero, M.Boroughs & J.Thompson
ADRIAN FURNHAM is an organizational and applied psychologist, management expert and Professor of Psychology at University College London, UK. His research interests are numerous and varied, and in addition to his academic roles, he is a consultant on organizational behaviour and management, writer and broadcaster. He is a prolific writer, is the author, among other books, of The Psychology of Behaviour at Work, Culture Shock and Personality at Work.
VIREN SWAMI is a Lecturer at the University of Westminster, UK. He received his doctorate from University College London, where he specialized in evolutionary psychology. His current research interests include interpersonal attraction, especially across cultures, and gender studies. He is the author of The Missing Arms of Venus de Milo and of The Psychology of Physical Attraction (with Adrian Furnham), as well as numerous psychological studies.
Description
The last decade has witnessed an exciting change in our understanding of what makes the human body beautiful, and why certain bodies are idealised over others. The traditional idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, with preferences varying idiosyncratically from person to person, has been challenged by evolutionary psychologists, who argue that human beings share an eye for an attractive body. Yet, not everyone is in agreement: cross-cultural evidence suggests that there may indeed be differences in what is termed an attractive body. Moreover, social psychologists stress that preferences emerge early in development, with children as young as four or five years old mirroring core cultural assumptions about what is an attractive body. These findings raise intriguing questions about bodily attractiveness; just what are these preferences, why do we have them, and how did we get them? This volume brings together seminal work from evolutionary and sociocultural perspectives, to explore these questions in a fresh perspective.
Contents
Part I: INTRODUCTION
Mutual and Partaken Bliss: Introducing the Science of Bodily Beauty; V.Swami & A.Furnham
Part 2: METHODOLOGICAL CRITIQUES
Waist-to-hip Ratios and Female Attractiveness; Comparing Apples, Oranges and Pears; D. McBurney & S.Streeter
The Volume-height Index as a Body Attractiveness Index; J.Fan
Methodological Issues in Studies in Female Attractiveness; M.Bateson,P.Cornelissen & M.Tovee
Part 3: ATTRACTIVENESS RESEARCH ACROSS CULTURES
An Evolutionary Perspective on Male Preferences for Female Body Shape; I.Scott, G.Bentley, M.Tovee, F. Uddin Ahamed & K.Magid
Masculinity, Culture and the Paradox of the Lek; D.Yu, S.Proulx & G.Shepard
Healthy Body Equals Beautiful Body? Changing Perceptions of Health and Attractiveness with Shifting Socioeconomic Status; M.Tovee, A.Furnham & V.Swami
Part 4: THEORY DEVELOPMENT; EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVES
The Shaping of Women's Bodies: Men's Choice of Fertility or Heat Stress Avoidance? D.Einon
Interpersonal Metaperception: The Importance of Compatibility in the Aesthetic Appreciation of Bodily Cues; K.Johnson & L.Tassinary
Mate Preferences in Social Cognitive Context: When Environmental and Personal Change Leads to Predictable Cross-Cultural Variation; L.Nelson ,T.Pettijohn & J.Galak
Part 5: THEORY DEVELOPMENT: SOCIOCULTURAL PERSEPCTIVES
The Roles of Stereotypes and Group Norms on Perceptions of Bodily Attractiveness; T.Hildebrandt & J.Latner
Feminism and Body Image; L.Smolak & S.Murnen
The Impact of Western Beauty Ideals on the Lives of Women: A Sociocultural Perspective; R.Calogero, M.Boroughs & J.Thompson
Authors
ADRIAN FURNHAM is an organizational and applied psychologist, management expert and Professor of Psychology at University College London, UK. His research interests are numerous and varied, and in addition to his academic roles, he is a consultant on organizational behaviour and management, writer and broadcaster. He is a prolific writer, is the author, among other books, of The Psychology of Behaviour at Work, Culture Shock and Personality at Work.
VIREN SWAMI is a Lecturer at the University of Westminster, UK. He received his doctorate from University College London, where he specialized in evolutionary psychology. His current research interests include interpersonal attraction, especially across cultures, and gender studies. He is the author of The Missing Arms of Venus de Milo and of The Psychology of Physical Attraction (with Adrian Furnham), as well as numerous psychological studies.
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