Stress, even short-term, appears to play a role in who we judge as a good potential partner, according to a new study published today (August 9) in PLoS ONE. The authors had previously shown that people living in more stressful environments express preference for a greater range of body types, but this is the first study to show the effect can be stimulated by situational stress.
"There's a lot of literature suggesting that our BMI (body mass index) preferences are hard-wired, but that's probably not true," coauthor Dr Martin Tovee, from Newcastle University, told BBC News.
Tovee and colleague Viren Swami asked two groups of men to rate the attractiveness of a range of women, from emaciated to obese. One group sat quietly before the ratings, while the other was given math and public speaking tasks to induce stress. Between the two groups, the men were controlled for BMI and ...
