Biological quality and attractiveness

I conducted this project as part of my pursuit of a master’s degree at the Department of Human Biology, University of Wrocław, Poland, under the supervision of Professor Bogusław Pawsłowski.

The original master’s thesis was composed in Polish.

The study aimed to find whether significant relationships can be found between men’s biological quality and attractiveness, and their conservative or liberal attitudes. In order to test the hypothesis, research was held on Polish male student volunteers (N = 57; 18–31 years old; M = 21.0, SD = 2.78). Anthropometric measurements: width of shoulders, hips, knees, wrists, elbows, and ankles were obtained. The participants filled out a set of surveys. Facial photos were taken. This data allowed me to calculate the shoulder-to-hip ratio (SHR) and the level of fluctuating asymmetry (FA), measure sociosexual attitudes, and obtain women’s assessments of the attractiveness of male participants.

The study did not confirm the link between biological quality, measured with the SHR and the FA, and the level of conservative attitude. There was, however, a link between male attractiveness assessed by women, and the level of conservative attitude. In the foregoing study, males with low conservative scores were perceived as more attractive. Additionally, an unexpected correlation was observed for males before and after sexual initiation; males before the initiation were more conservative.