The Body Beautiful
Evolutionary and Socio-cultural Perspectives
Will be published approx. in November 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-230-52187-2 (ISBN)
Description
The last decade has witnessed an exciting change in our understanding of what makes the human body beautiful, and why certain bodies are idealised over others. The traditional idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, with preferences varying idiosyncratically from person to person, has been challenged by evolutionary psychologists, who argue that human beings share an eye for an attractive body. Yet, not everyone is in agreement: cross-cultural evidence suggests that there may indeed be differences in what is termed an attractive body. Moreover, social psychologists stress that preferences emerge early in development, with children as young as four or five years old mirroring core cultural assumptions about what is an attractive body. These findings raise intriguing questions about bodily attractiveness; just what are these preferences, why do we have them, and how did we get them? This volume brings together seminal work from evolutionary and sociocultural perspectives, to explore these questions in a fresh perspective.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Basingstoke
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-230-52187-2 (9780230521872)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
11/2007
Palgrave Macmillan
€53.49
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
ADRIAN FURNHAM is an organizational and applied psychologist, management expert and Professor of Psychology at University College London, UK. His research interests are numerous and varied, and in addition to his academic roles, he is a consultant on organizational behaviour and management, writer and broadcaster. He is a prolific writer, is the author, among other books, of The Psychology of Behaviour at Work, Culture Shock and Personality at Work. VIREN SWAMI is a Research Associate at the University of Liverpool, UK. He received his doctorate from University College London, where he specialized in evolutionary psychology. His current research interests include interpersonal attraction, especially across cultures, and gender studies. He is the author of The Missing Arms of Venus de Milo and (with Adrian Furnham) of The Psychology of Physical Attraction, as well as numerous psychological studies.
Content
Part I: INTRODUCTION Mutual and Partaken Bliss: Introducing the Science of Bodily Beauty; V.Swami & A.Furnham Part 2: METHODOLOGICAL CRITIQUES Waist-to-hip Ratios and Female Attractiveness; Comparing Apples, Oranges and Pears; D. McBurney & S.Streeter The Volume-height Index as a Body Attractiveness Index; J.Fan Methodological Issues in Studies in Female Attractiveness; M.Bateson,P.Cornelissen & M.Tovee Part 3: ATTRACTIVENESS RESEARCH ACROSS CULTURES An Evolutionary Perspective on Male Preferences for Female Body Shape; I.Scott, G.Bentley, M.Tovee, F. Uddin Ahamed & K.Magid Masculinity, Culture and the Paradox of the Lek; D.Yu, S.Proulx & G.Shepard Healthy Body Equals Beautiful Body? Changing Perceptions of Health and Attractiveness with Shifting Socioeconomic Status; M.Tovee, A.Furnham & V.Swami Part 4: THEORY DEVELOPMENT; EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVES The Shaping of Women's Bodies: Men's Choice of Fertility or Heat Stress Avoidance? D.Einon Interpersonal Metaperception: The Importance of Compatibility in the Aesthetic Appreciation of Bodily Cues; K.Johnson & L.Tassinary Mate Preferences in Social Cognitive Context: When Environmental and Personal Change Leads to Predictable Cross-Cultural Variation; L.Nelson ,T.Pettijohn & J.Galak Part 5: THEORY DEVELOPMENT: SOCIOCULTURAL PERSEPCTIVES The Roles of Stereotypes and Group Norms on Perceptions of Bodily Attractiveness; T.Hildebrandt & J.Latner Feminism and Body Image; L.Smolak & S.Murnen The Impact of Western Beauty Ideals on the Lives of Women: A Sociocultural Perspective; R.Calogero, M.Boroughs & J.Thompson