An anthropological perspective on obesity
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences • Vol/Iss. 499(1) • Blackwell • • Published In • Pages: 29-46 •
By Brown, Peter J., Konner, Melvin
Hypothesis
The desirability of plumpness is common cross-culturally
Note
"Culturally defined standards of beauty may have been a factor in the sexual selection for phenotypes predisposed to obesity"(40). Further, "the desirability of plumpness or being filled out is found in 81% of societies for which there is data...it appears that plumpness in peripheral body fat is commonly preferred"(41). As such, the authors suggest that "fatness may have been directly selected because it is a cultural symbol of social prestige and an index of general health"(34).
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generalization | NA | NA | NA | UNKNOWN |