tailieunhanh - The leg-to-body ratio as a human aesthetic criterion

Although the Apollonian aesthetic and the more general valuation of reason and control became the dominant tradition, the core ideas of the Dionysian aesthetics continued as a minor theme in philosophy, art, and culture. For example, the idea that the world does not fully yield to the power of reason inspired continued and diverse expression in the philos- ophy of Nietzsche, Schoepenhauer, Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Camus. And, the philosophy, art, and literature of Romanticism can be seen as a reaction to Apollonian, Classicism, and Enlightenment’s precepts of order, harmony, balance, and rationality. Continuing the. | ELSEVIER Available online at ScienceDirect Body Image 3 2006 317-323 locate bodyimage The leg-to-body ratio as a human aesthetic criterion Viren Swamia Dorothy Einonb Adrian Furnhamb a Division of Public Health University of Liverpool Whelan Building Quadrangle Brownlow Hill Liverpool L69 3GB United Kingdom b Department of Psychology University College London London United Kingdom Received 8 June 2006 received in revised form 11 August 2006 accepted 12 August 2006 Abstract There are surprisingly few empirical studies on the aesthetic appeal of human legs examining such variables as length or shape. The human legs are conspicuous in erotic contexts but few studies have experimentally tested preferences for longer legs. This study examined the utility of the human leg-to-body ratio LBR as a specific aesthetic criterion among 71 British undergraduates. Participants rated for physical attractiveness line drawings that varied in five levels of LBR. The results showed that a longer LBR was preferred as maximally attractive in women whereas a shorter LBR was preferred in men. Evolutionary psychological and socio-cultural explanations for this aesthetic preference are discussed and the study s limitations are considered. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords Leg-to-body ratio Physical attractiveness Aesthetic criteria Introduction A great many studies have considered height as an important component of physical attractiveness. Tallness is generally considered a socially desirable attribute Keyes 1981 Roberts Herman 1986 and is associated with improved social status Jackson Ervin 1992 Judge Cable 2004 persuasiveness Young French 1996 and leadership skills Higham Carment 1992 Stogdill 1948 . Among men tallness is further associated with greater reproductive success Pawlowski Dunbar Lipowicz 2000 dating history Shepperd Strathman 1989 higher lifetime number of cohabiting partners and decreased probabilities of childlessness .