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Bust size and hitchhiking: a field study.

Nicolas Guéguen¹

¹Université de Bretagne Sud, UFR LSHS, 4 rue Jean Zay, BP 92116, 56321 Lorient, France. nicolas.gueguen@univ-ubs.fr

Perceptual and Motor Skills

|April 3, 2008

Summary

A woman's bust size significantly influenced male drivers' likelihood of stopping to offer a ride in a French hitchhiking study. Female drivers, however, were not affected by the hitchhiker's breast size.

Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Human Behavior Studies

Background:

Understanding factors influencing prosocial behavior and altruism is crucial in social psychology.
Previous research has explored various cues in social interactions, but the impact of physical attributes like bust size on help-offering behavior remains under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the direct effect of a female hitchhiker's bust size on the rate of assistance offered by motorists.
To determine if gender of the motorist influences the response to varying physical cues in a help-seeking scenario.

Main Methods:

A controlled field experiment involving 1200 male and female French motorists.
A female confederate varied her breast size using adjustable bra cups in a simulated hitchhiking situation.
The number of drivers stopping to offer a ride was recorded and analyzed based on the confederate's bust size and the driver's gender.

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Main Results:

A statistically significant positive correlation was found between increased bra size and the likelihood of male drivers stopping.
No significant association was observed between the hitchhiker's bust size and the number of female drivers who stopped.
Results indicate a gender-specific response to physical attractiveness cues in the context of offering help.

Conclusions:

Female bust size acts as a significant factor influencing male drivers' willingness to offer assistance in a hitchhiking context.
The study highlights potential biases in prosocial behavior, influenced by physical characteristics and gender dynamics.
Further research is warranted to explore the underlying psychological mechanisms driving these observed differences in help-offering behavior.