Women With Long Arms More Attractive Than Those With Long Legs, Study Shows (POLL)

Women with long arms are apparently more attractive than those with long legs, the Daily Mail reports. Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney conducted the study, which involved having volunteers rank women based on their looks. Arm length was found to be most important contributing factor to attractiveness, followed by hip-to-waist ratio, but leg length wasn't too significant at all.

A press release elaborated on the study:

Videos of the models were shown to a sample of 92 Australian adults, 40 men and 52 women, aged between 18 to 58 years of age, and mostly of European descent. They then compared the attractiveness ratings given by the Australian group to the ratings from a group in Hong Kong to avoid cultural bias.

Professor Robert Brooks, who led the study, said in the release: "Physical attractiveness is an important determining factor for evolutionary, social and economic success. The dimensions of someone's body can tell observers if that person is suitable as a potential mate, a long term partner or perhaps the threat they pose as a sexual competitor."

The results are published in the "Journal of Evolutionary Biology."

What do you think?

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Are long arms really more attractive than long legs?

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Comments

[carnitine]

09:35 PM on 10/08/2010

Study shows that studies are Bullsh*t

[Amanda Donovan]

01:50 PM on 10/02/2010

FINALLY some good news for me and my ape arms!

[Theresa Ruth Howard]

02:41 PM on 10/01/2010

I just wonder how much money it cost to generate these results? and to what end? there is absolutely nothing you can do to change the length of you ARMS or legs. I also find it interesting that the study used models and not a a diverse grouping of women. I find thing like this disturbing (in that they exist) and that women take them to heart. Make it stop!!!
http://mybodymyimage.com

[Cynth]

11:53 PM on 09/30/2010

Does this apply to knuckle-dragging men, too?

[Lauren Cahn]

07:10 PM on 09/30/2010

I KNEW this!!! It's the reason that we have extra-long sleeves and opera-length gloves....and it's the reason short sleeves are so unflattering - they cut those long arms in half, visually.

[Kurt Mundt]

03:34 PM on 09/30/2010

I never much thought about it; gee, now there's another reason to look at women.

[gcswift2]

09:10 AM on 09/30/2010

I am 6'5", my soulmate is 5'10". I have a 36" inseam and she has a 32" inseam.

Yeah, I'm a little biased.

[Kellybelle22]

08:05 PM on 10/02/2010

I'm 5'10 with long arms, long legs and a short waist (33" inseam). I married a 6' 3" husband, which is exciting because it's possible to wear heels and not tower over him.You'll find her!

We're about to have what I suspect is a tall baby in a few more weeks. With us this height, I wonder what she will be.

Don't you just hate insecure short people who say "How's the weather up there?" The correct answer is always "Precisely the same as it is down in your unfortunate domain. . . ."

[WarriorLemming]

04:04 AM on 09/30/2010

This study was funded by Bush, "The Smiling Chimp" he's getting bored since he left office.

[afgail]

03:41 AM on 09/30/2010

Ranking women on their looks and the most attractive feature was long arms???? I smell a prank. One would say large eyes, big boobs, flat stomach, noticeable hips, small waist, round bottom and long legs would all have to score a lot higher than long arms.

[Kellybelle22]

08:20 PM on 10/02/2010

From a medical aesthetics standpoint, we rank women in attractiveness according to hip-to-waist ratio (the hourglass figure), moderately full breasts, large eyes in combination with full lips, a less-prominent nose, and a feminine jaw on a symmetrical face, and then the long arms and legs. Each of these ideal physical properties conforms in some way to the Golden Ratio of approximately 1.618. Surgeons who are reconstructing or augmenting faces or body parts use this ratio routinely to aim for the best aesthetic outcome.

All the features and proportions we consider the most attractive--and which cosmetic surgeons work toward--are also the ones we most directly associate with youth, excellent health, excellent heart health, and superior reproductive capability.

[naschkatze]

11:42 PM on 09/29/2010

When I was in junior high, I felt very self-conscious because I felt my arms were too long. Maybe true, maybe not, but I think proportionally long legs work better than too long arms and not enough leg.

[OzoneTom]

10:32 PM on 09/29/2010

Long legs without long arms would look freaky.

Unless you have a T-Rex fetish.

[Yam716]

08:38 AM on 09/30/2010

:( I have xtra long arms...and at 5'5.5, I can't say I have long legs.

However, I take belly dancing and long arms move fluidly, and beautifully!

[MorningGloryD]

10:21 PM on 09/29/2010

I'm wondering if arm length somehow corresponds to another feature people find attractive...maybe arm length corresponds to something like facial symmetry, or neck proportions, or something else. It could be an indicator but not the actual attractive feature?

[IndigoDingo]

07:45 AM on 09/30/2010

I was thinking the same thing. This study is at best inconclusive, the sample size is very small and comparing "the attractiveness ratings given by the Australian group to the ratings from a group in Hong Kong" is hardly sufficient to remove cultural bias. We also don't know exactly how the study was conducted so there could be other unintentional biases being measured. I would say this is interesting enough to prompt further investigation, but hardly a sound scientific conclusion.

[catcancook]

10:20 PM on 09/29/2010

It must be that long arms also may be attached to nice shoulders like this photo which is very feminine. You can help to lengthen a leg with the right high heel but you cannot do anything to lengthen an arm.

[naschkatze]

11:43 PM on 09/29/2010

You cannot do anything to shorten it either if it looks out of proportion.

[Vanessa Belle]

07:45 PM on 09/29/2010

Long arms? I have never heard anyone comment about a person's long arms as being an attractive trait.
The length of legs is not more important than the shape in my opinion.

A good waist-to-hip ratio is definitely attracitve. I would say a small waist in particular is attractive on a woman because it is youthful looking, most women expand in the waist as they get older. It is also rare to see a small waist and flat stomach these days on a woman or a man for that matter.
I am happy to have mine.

[Amanda Donovan]

01:53 PM on 10/02/2010

clearly....

[Highball]

07:36 PM on 09/29/2010

Can someone, from this study or otherwise, give an example of a woman with long arms but without long legs?

[Yam716]

08:40 AM on 09/30/2010

Me!

[Highball]

09:57 PM on 09/30/2010

Fair enough! But it's got to be at least fairly rare.