Preferred waist-to-hip ratio and ecology

Female waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is widely cited by evolutionary psychologists as an example of an evolved male preference. Although many studies have found men prefer a low WHR, almost all have been conducted with college students. We tested men in a foraging society and found that they preferred high WHRs. We interpret this as a preference for heavier women, which we think should be common where there is no risk of obesity. Based on these results and others, we suggest that WHR preference varies with ecology. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.