Optimal waist-to-hip ratios in women activate neural reward centers in men.

Abstract in brief

• The study found that men’s brains respond to women’s waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), especially around 0.7, by activating reward centers like the nucleus accumbens, indicating that this ratio signals reproductive quality.
• When women’s bodies were surgically altered to achieve an optimal WHR, brain areas linked to reward and decision-making, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, showed increased activity compared to their original figures, highlighting the importance of specific body proportions in attractiveness.
• These findings suggest that an hourglass figure with a 0.7 WHR functions as a biological signal of female reproductive health and genetic quality, influencing men’s neurological responses related to attraction and social interest.]