Preferences for Male and Female Body Parameters and Characteristics of Sexual Dimorphism in Russians and Buryats

The aim of the present study was to investigate sexual dimorphism of body parameters in modern Russians and Buryats, and to assess its association with preferences for male and female body traits in these populations. Sex and population differences in height, muscle and bone mass, fat deposition and hand grip strength were assessed using direct measurements in Buryats (N = 182, Ulan-Ude city, Buryatia) and Russians (N = 181, Tula city) (age: 17-26 years). Mate preferences for sexual dimorphism in body height, muscularity, physical strength and fat deposition in Buryats (N = 182) and Russians (N = 340) of the same age were assessed by a survey developed by the authors. The results revealed that modern Buryats have lower body height and lower body and muscle mass than Russians. However, Buryats demonstrated higher sexual dimorphism of bone and muscle mass. Russian women had higher fat deposition compared to Buryat women, which corresponded to Russian male preferences. Mate preferences for sexual dimorphism in muscularity and physical strength did not correspond to actual degrees of sex differences in these parameters either in Russians or Buryats. Our results suggest these traits are not directly associated with intersexual attractiveness, and were selected for in other selection processes leading to high sexual dimorphism. Our results also revealed population differences in the integral perception of the male body attractiveness: Russian women demonstrated preferences for a male "masculine complex". In contrast, Buryat preferences for various body parameters were almost not correlated with each other. The results are discussed in line with evolutionary theory.