Eating Disorders viewed from an Evolutionary Perspective Regarding Mate Choice

1
Eating Disorders viewed from an Evolutionary
Perspective Regarding Mate Choice

• Celia DiMicoli

2
(No Transcript)
3
Introduction

• Dieting in women of all ages can be explained by
  the current belief that thin is beautiful and
  good
• Women choose thin female figures as ideal
• Perceive their current body as fatter than the
  ideal
• Women also choose their ideal figure as much
  thinner than what they believe mens preference
  to be

4
What do men want?

• To have sex with lots of hot women
• Essentially, to pass on their genes, as many
  genes as humanly possible.
• Physical attractiveness, then, is a fundamental
  determinant of mate choice
• Hour glass figure
• Why?

5
Evolutionary Perspective

• Both men and women select mating partners who
  enable them to enhance their reproductive success
  
• Men need to mate with women who can have children
  that will survive
• Men possess mechanisms (conscious or unconscious)
  to detect these features
• In the EEA

6
Waist-to-Hip Ratio

• Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in women is a
  calculation characterized by enlarged chest,
  slender waist, and enlarged buttocks and hips
• Emerges after puberty in females
• A WHR of .7 is considered optimally beautiful
• WHR serves as an observable sign of the
  unobservable hormonal state fertility health

7
Cross cultural

• Men in almost every culture prefer a WHR of .7
• Some variation

8
Victorian era
9
Evolutionarily

• This makes complete sense!
• Evidence suggests that being extremely
  underweight or overweight can have adverse
  effects on female reproductive functions
• So, if we want to attract a mate

10
Why would some women do this???
11
Eating Disorders

• Anorexia Nervosa? characterized by an abnormal
  fear of becoming obese, a distorted self-image, a
  persistent unwillingness to eat, and severe
  weight loss.
• Bulimia Nervosa? characterized by episodic binge
  eating and followed by feelings of guilt,
  depression, and self-condemnation. It is often
  associated with measures taken to prevent weight
  gain, such as self-induced vomiting, the use of
  laxatives, dieting, or fasting.

12
Not adaptive

• High mortality
• Do not menstruate

13
Possible explanations?

• Social Comparison
• Media influence
• Status

14
Evolution in the Making?

• Dress size 12 Dress size 6

15
Current Trends

• Slender figures and an emphasis on thinness is
  prevalent in todays society
• Hourglass to tubular
• 1960-1978 gradual but definite evolution in
  ideal body shape for women
• More changes to come?

16
(No Transcript)
17
Possible explanations?

• Emergency strategy for reproductive suppression?
• Extreme intrasexual competition
• Serious mental illness

18
Conclusions

• Physical attractiveness is a major component in
  the human females mate attraction strategy
• From an evolutionary perspective, men want women
  with a WHR of .7
• Eating disorders shouldnt occur
• Frightening