From stepping stone to cornerstone: revisiting the legacy of waist-to-hip ratio

Dorian Singh and Adrian Singh

Chapter 20 in Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, 2026, pp 358-371 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter examines Devendra Singh's influential 1993 study, ‘Adaptive significance of female physical attractiveness: Role of waist-to-hip ratio’ (WHR), which introduced WHR as a quantifiable marker linking female attractiveness to health, fertility, and evolutionary fitness. We situate the work within its intellectual lineage, outline its methodological contributions, and assess how it redirected research on human attractiveness from broad descriptors toward measurable traits. The chapter also reviews the scholarly discussions it prompted, including reflections on methodology, cultural scope, and feminist perspectives on reductionism. Subsequent research has both reinforced and refined Singh's claims, extending WHR's relevance into fields ranging from psychology and anthropology to public health and robotics. Finally, we consider how modern technologies—from virtual reality to genomics and digital behavioral data—offer opportunities to expand and recontextualize WHR research, demonstrating the continued significance of Singh's framework for understanding the intersection of biology, culture, and aesthetics in human mate selection.

Keywords: Waist-to-hip Ratio; Female Attractiveness; Adaptive Significance; Mate Selection; Reproductive Fitness; Sexual Dimorphism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332496
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