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Do assortative preferences contribute to assortative mating for adiposity?
Claire I Fisher1, Corey L Fincher, Amanda C Hahn
1Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, UK.
British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|October 31, 2013
Summary
People tend to pair with partners of similar body weight, but attraction to leaner faces doesn't explain this assortative mating for adiposity. Partner BMI similarity is not driven by preferences for facial adiposity cues.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Human Mating Behavior
- Population Health
Background:
- Assortative mating for adiposity links partner body weights, impacting population health via fertility and offspring outcomes.
- Partner preferences for adiposity cues, particularly facial features, are hypothesized drivers of this mating pattern.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly test if assortative preferences for facial adiposity cues contribute to assortative mating for adiposity (measured by body mass index, BMI).
Main Methods:
- Examined BMI correlations in romantic couples.
- Assessed preferences for facial adiposity cues in relation to own BMI and partner's BMI.
- Controlled for age and relationship duration.
Main Results:
- Romantic partners' BMIs were positively correlated, independent of age and relationship duration.
- Individuals with leaner partners showed stronger preferences for leaner facial cues.
- Controlling for these preferences did not reduce the correlation between partners' BMIs; own BMI and preferences were uncorrelated.
Conclusions:
- Assortative preferences for facial adiposity cues appear to play a minimal role in assortative mating for adiposity.
- Partner BMI similarity is not explained by mate preferences for facial cues of leanness.
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