Does attractiveness predict reproductive success?

Thanks to the scientific investigations, now we know physical attractiveness would boost one’s social and sexual success. Attractive females would have more chances of being hired, and having attract/sustain men with more resources. It is hypothesized that female physical attractiveness is the signal for her fertility; i.e. men prefer attractive women because they are more fertile! But, the question is that if there is any relationship between women’s attractiveness and their reproductive success or if attractive women have more progeny.

It’s been an old question – at least for the evolutionary biologists and evolutionary psychologists – if the physical attractiveness would guaranty the reproductive success. Human ethologists at the University of Vienna have investigated the question and reported that the attractive women have more biological offspring than less attractive women. The sample was women who never used hormonal contraceptives.

This paper would be published in the upcoming issue of Evolution and Human Behavior.

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Lena S. Pflüger, Elisabeth Oberzaucher, Stanislav Katina, Iris J. Holzleitner,, & Karl Grammer (2012). Cues to fertility: perceived attractiveness and facial shape predict reproductive success Evolution & Human Behavior DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2012.05.005