Popular myth about female appearance destroyed by new research

Scientists debunked the myth about the connection between feminine appearance and fertility: new research has overturned concepts in evolutionary psychology

As reported by TUT.AZ, the work was published in the journal Evolutionary Human Sciences (EHS).

Evolutionary biology assumes that differences between male and female bodies were formed under the influence of natural and sexual selection. The female figure on average has a greater amount of subcutaneous fat, a higher voice, and a different facial contour. For a long time, it was believed that such characteristics could serve as a kind of "cue" for men, signaling the reproductive advantages of their owners. But if we assume that such traits are indeed indicators of high fertility, women with a more "feminine" appearance should statistically have more children.

However, a systematic analysis of the data showed a different picture. Researchers analyzed 19 scientific articles, including more than 125 thousand participants from 16 countries. Actual indicators of reproductive success were taken into account: number of children and grandchildren, pregnancy history, offspring survival.

"The popular idea that a funnel-shaped waist, soft facial features, or a high voice serve as reliable biological signals of fertility is not supported by existing research," noted co-author Linda Lidborg, a postdoctoral researcher at Durham University.

To date, there is no convincing evidence that external signs of "femininity" are associated with women's actual ability to have a greater number of children. According to Lidborg, this does not mean that such a connection does not exist, but the current empirical base is insufficient to confirm it. In the future, scientists plan to conduct large longitudinal studies in cultures with different levels of contraception use to separate biological factors from social ones.