A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans
Humans are sexually dimorphic: men and women differ in body build and composition, craniofacial structure, and voice pitch, likely mediated in part by developmental testosterone. Sexual selection hypotheses posit that, ancestrally, more ‘masculine’ men may have acquired more mates and/or sired more...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2022-02-01
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| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/65031 |
| _version_ | 1811203310352334848 |
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| author | Linda H Lidborg Catharine Penelope Cross Lynda G Boothroyd |
| author_facet | Linda H Lidborg Catharine Penelope Cross Lynda G Boothroyd |
| author_sort | Linda H Lidborg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Humans are sexually dimorphic: men and women differ in body build and composition, craniofacial structure, and voice pitch, likely mediated in part by developmental testosterone. Sexual selection hypotheses posit that, ancestrally, more ‘masculine’ men may have acquired more mates and/or sired more viable offspring. Thus far, however, evidence for either association is unclear. Here, we meta-analyze the relationships between six masculine traits and mating/reproductive outcomes (96 studies, 474 effects, N = 177,044). Voice pitch, height, and testosterone all predicted mating; however, strength/muscularity was the strongest and only consistent predictor of both mating and reproduction. Facial masculinity and digit ratios did not significantly predict either. There was no clear evidence for any effects of masculinity on offspring viability. Our findings support arguments that strength/muscularity may be sexually selected in humans, but cast doubt regarding selection for other forms of masculinity and highlight the need to increase tests of evolutionary hypotheses outside of industrialized populations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:52:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e4f42da5b9146978817c6575ba0d09d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:52:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e4f42da5b9146978817c6575ba0d09d2022-12-22T03:50:55ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2022-02-011110.7554/eLife.65031A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humansLinda H Lidborg0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9667-9326Catharine Penelope Cross1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8110-8408Lynda G Boothroyd2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6660-5828Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United KingdomSchool of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, United KingdomHumans are sexually dimorphic: men and women differ in body build and composition, craniofacial structure, and voice pitch, likely mediated in part by developmental testosterone. Sexual selection hypotheses posit that, ancestrally, more ‘masculine’ men may have acquired more mates and/or sired more viable offspring. Thus far, however, evidence for either association is unclear. Here, we meta-analyze the relationships between six masculine traits and mating/reproductive outcomes (96 studies, 474 effects, N = 177,044). Voice pitch, height, and testosterone all predicted mating; however, strength/muscularity was the strongest and only consistent predictor of both mating and reproduction. Facial masculinity and digit ratios did not significantly predict either. There was no clear evidence for any effects of masculinity on offspring viability. Our findings support arguments that strength/muscularity may be sexually selected in humans, but cast doubt regarding selection for other forms of masculinity and highlight the need to increase tests of evolutionary hypotheses outside of industrialized populations.https://elifesciences.org/articles/65031sexual selectionhuman evolutionsexual dimorphismmasculinityreproductive success |
| spellingShingle | Linda H Lidborg Catharine Penelope Cross Lynda G Boothroyd A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans eLife sexual selection human evolution sexual dimorphism masculinity reproductive success |
| title | A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans |
| title_full | A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans |
| title_fullStr | A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans |
| title_full_unstemmed | A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans |
| title_short | A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans |
| title_sort | meta analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans |
| topic | sexual selection human evolution sexual dimorphism masculinity reproductive success |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/65031 |
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