Sex differences in the jealousy-evoking nature of a rival's body build

This study among 185 college students showed that potential rivals with a relatively low waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) evoked more jealousy in women than in men. In contrast, rivals with a relatively high shoulder-to-hip ratio (SHR) evoked more jealousy in men than in women, particularly when the rival also had a high WHR. Rivals with a low as opposed to a high WHR were perceived as more socially dominant and attractive in both sexes, and as more physically dominant in the case of men. In addition, rivals of both sexes were perceived as more physically and socially dominant when they had a high SHR, and in the case of men as more attractive. In evaluating the rivals, women indicated that they had paid more attention to the rivals' waist, hips, and legs, and men indicated that they had paid more attention to the rivals' shoulders, chest, and belly. The results provide support for evolutionary psychological hypotheses that men and women pay attention to different bodily features in evaluating the potential threat imposed by a rival. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.