The Body Beautiful

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

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2. Introduction

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Mutual and Partaken Bliss: Introducing the Science of Bodily Beauty

      • Adrian Furnham, Viren Swami

      Pages 3-12

3. Methodological Critiques

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 13-13

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   2. Waist-to-Hip Ratios and Female Attractiveness: Comparing Apples, Oranges, and Pears

      • Donald H. McBurney, Sybil A. Streeter

      Pages 15-28

   3. The Volume-Height Index as a Body Attractiveness Index

      • Jintu Fan

      Pages 29-45

   4. Methodological Issues in Studies of Female Attractiveness

      • Melissa Bateson, Piers L. Cornelissen, Martin J. Tovée

      Pages 46-62

4. Attractiveness Research Across Cultures

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 63-63

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   2. An Evolutionary Perspective on Male Preferences for Female Body Shape

      • Isabel Scott, Gillian R. Bentley, Martin J. Tovée, Farid Uddin Ahamed, Kesson Magid

      Pages 65-87

   3. Masculinity, Culture, and the Paradox of the Lek

      • Douglas W. Yu, Stephen R. Proulx, Glenn H. Shepard

      Pages 88-107

   4. Healthy Body Equals Beautiful Body? Changing Perceptions of Health and Attractiveness with Shifting Socioeconomic Status

      • Martin J. Tovée, Adrian Furnham, Viren Swami

      Pages 108-128

5. Theory Development: Evolutionary Perspectives

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 129-129

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   2. The Shaping of Women’s Bodies: Men’s Choice of Fertility or Heat Stress Avoidance?

      • Dorothy Einon

      Pages 131-158

   3. Interpersonal Metaperception: The Importance of Compatibility in the Aesthetic Appreciation of Bodily Cues

      • Kerri L. Johnson, Louis G. Tassinary

      Pages 159-184

   4. Mate Preferences in Social Cognitive Context: When Environmental and Personal Change Leads to Predictable Cross-Cultural Variation

      • Leif D. Nelson, Terry F. Pettijohn II, Jeff Galak

      Pages 185-206

6. Theory Development: Sociocultural Perspectives

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 207-207

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   2. The Roles of Stereotypes and Group Norms on Perceptions of Bodily Attractiveness

      • Tom Hildebrandt, Janet D. Latner

      Pages 209-235

   3. Feminism and Body Image

      • Linda Smolak, Sarah K. Murnen

      Pages 236-258

   4. The Impact of Western Beauty Ideals on the Lives of Women: A Sociocultural Perspective

      • Rachel M. Calogero, Michael Boroughs, J. Kevin Thompson

      Pages 259-298

7. Back Matter

   Pages 299-316

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In this volume, contributors from a range of perspectives - evolutionary psychology to anthropology, sociology to cognitive and motivational psychology - explore questions of what our attractiveness preferences are and why we find certain others physically attractive, offering a fresh perspective to understanding the perception of attractiveness.

• perception
• psychology
• Stereotyp
• stress
• women
• sexual behaviour

• University of Liverpool, UK

  Viren Swami

• University College London, UK

  Adrian Furnham

FARID UDDIN AHAMED Professor and Chair at the Department of Anthropology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh MELISSA BATESON Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Newcastle University, UK GILLIAN R BENTLEY Professor of Anthropology, Durham University, UK MICHAEL BOROUGHS Faculty Researcher at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, USA RACHEL M CAGOLERO currently completing her Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK DOROTHY EINON Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University College London, UK JINTU FAN Professor of Textiles and Clothing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong JEFF GALAK Marketing doctoral candidate at New York University's Stern School of Business, USA TOM HILDEBRANDT Assistant Professor of Psychiatry of the Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, USA KERRI L JOHNSON Social Psychologist in the Department of Psychology, New York University, USA JANET D LATNER Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Hawaii, USA KESSON MAGID Ph.D candidate at the Department of Anthroplogy, University College London, UK DONALD H MCBURNEY Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, USA SARAH K MURNEN Professor of Psychology, and Women and Gender Studies at Kenyon College LEIF D NELSON Assistant Professor of Marketing, Stern School of Business, New York University, USA TERRY F PETTIJOHN II Associate Professor of Psychology, Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA STEPHEN R PROULX Theoretical evolutionary biologist at Iowa State University, USA ISABEL SCOTT Ph.D candidate in evolutionary psychology at Bristol University, UK GLENN H SHEPARD Medical anthropologist, University of East Anglia, UK LINDA SMOLAK Samuel B Cummings Jr. Professor of Psychology and Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, USA SYBIL A STREETER Graduate student in the Department of Psychology , University of Pittsburgh, USA LOUIS G TASSINARY Professor of Architecture and an adjunct Professor of Psychology, as well as Associate Dean for Research and Director of Graduate Studies, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, USA J KEVIN THMPSON Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, USA MARTIN J TOVEE Reader in visual cognition at the Psychology Department, Newcastle University, UK DOUGLAS W YU Behavioural and spatial ecologist, University of East Anglia, UK

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