Staff profile

Lynda Boothroyd is a Professor of Psychology at Durham University. Her research focuses on Evolutionary and Cross-Cultural understandings of interpersonal attraction and sexual selection. She has recently focused on body ideals in rural Nicaragua alongside experimental work both in the laboratory and in the field on the impacts of visual experience on body size preferences.

Lynda engages in science communication in relation to her research both on body image and on issues around sex and gender, including BBC short films and articles at The Conversation.

She has a multidisciplinary approach to her research, incorporating perspectives from Evolutionary Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology and Biological Anthropology, and has incorporated a mixed-methods component in her current work.

 In addition, she is a trainer for ‘Succeed’– the UK edition of an international preventative body image programme – and has trained students at Durham and Newcastle in being peer leaders on this programme.

Information for potential PhD and postdoc researchers

She is interested in supporting applications for PhDs or postdoctoral fellowships from researchers who want to pursue interdisciplinary projects addressing how sociocultural, psychological and bio-evolutionary factors influence our conceptions of attractiveness, body shape, or gender. She is also interested in supporting projects on body image interventions, particularly from a cross-cultural perspective.

Potential funding streams applicants should consider include the ESRC Nine-DTP stream for PhDs and postdoctoral fellows, the University's doctoral studentships, and the European Research Council's Marie Curie post-doctoral scheme.

• Cross-cultural research, especially in subsistence populations
• Gender
• Cultural drivers of behaviour
• Evolutionary Social and Developmental Psychology
• Attraction
• Body size preferences
• Facial masculinity
• Body image

• Quantitative Social Psychology

• More about my research and online studies

• 2021: Making Every Contact Count for the Health of Disabled People: Training the Social Workers of Today and Tomorrow in Physical Activity Promotion(£0.00 from National Institute for Health Research)
• 2019: Establishing best practice in eating disorder prevention in rapidly developing populations(£96958.00 from Wellcome Trust)
• 2018: Maternal mind-mindness: Transmission mechanisms and predicting development into early adulthood(£108209.00 from ESRC Centre for Social and Economic Research on Innovation in Genomics (INNOGEN))
• 2013: Impact of media access and local ecology on beauty ideals in Nicaragua(£197663.00 from Leverhulme Trust)
• 2010: Perceptions of facial attractiveness across development(£75326.79 from ESRC)
• 2010: The experimental study of cultural transmission: When and who do people copy(£4400.00 from European Commission)
• 2010: Visual Media Influence on Behaviour(£23401.17 from EOARD)
• 2009: Pubertal testosterone as a predictor of adult male craniofacial dimorphism in humans(£1440.00 from The Nuffield Foundation)
• 2004: FATHER ABSENCE AND CHILDHOOD(£28184.25 from ESRC)

• 2021: External examiner of doctoral degree - University of Pretoria:
• 2019: External examiner of doctoral degree - Northumbria University :
• 2018: Elected vice-president of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association:
• 2017: Keynote speaker - PsyPAG 2017:
• 2012: Conference organiser: EHBEA 2012: European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association

Available for media contact about:

• Evolution: The way in which evolution has shaped what kind of faces we are attracted to.
• Perception / attractiveness: The way in which evolution has shaped what kind of faces we are attracted to.
• Perception / attractiveness: The development of facial preferences in children and adults
• Evolution: Family influences of puberty and sexual development.
• Psychology: Family influences of puberty and sexual development.
• Psychology: The relationship bewteen hormones (such as testosterone), behaviour and physical traits in men and women
• Psychology: Cross-cultural influences on preferences for body size
• Psychology: Body weight preferences and body image
• Perception / attractiveness: Body weight preferences and body image

Chapter in book

• Boothroyd, L.G. & Vukovic, J. (2019). Mate Preferences Across the Lifespan. In The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioral Endocrinology. Welling, L.M. & Shackelford, T.K. Oxford University Press. 143-159.

Journal Article

• Boothroyd, Lynda G. & Cross, Catharine P. (2022). (Super-)cultural clustering explains gender differences too. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 45: e156.
• Thornborrow, T., Evans, E. H., Tovee, M. J. & Boothroyd, L. G. (2022). Sociocultural drivers of body image and eating disorder risk in rural Nicaraguan women. Journal of Eating Disorders 10(1): 133.
• Lidborg, Linda H., Cross, Catharine Penelope & Boothroyd, Lynda G. (2022). A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans. eLife 11: e65031.
• Kuay, H.S., Boothroyd, L.G., Towl, G.J., Tiffin, P.A. & Munoz, L.C. (2022). Callous-Unemotional Traits are Associated With Child-to-Parent Aggression. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 66(15): 1603-1626.
• Brooks, KR., Bell, J, Boothroyd, LG. & Stephen, ID. (2021). Editorial: Experimental Approaches to Body Image, Representation and Perception. Frontiers in Psychology 12.
• Boothroyd, L.G. Jucker, JL, Thornborrow, T. Tovee, M.J. Batres, C. & Penton-Voak, I. (2021). Testing Mate Choice Hypotheses in a Transitional Small Scale Population. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology 7(3): 220-244.
• Jacques, K.A., Evans, E.H. & Boothroyd, L.G. (2021). Experimental manipulation of muscularity preferences through visual diet and associative learning. PLoS One 16(8): e0255403.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Tovée, M.J. & Evans, E.H. (2021). Can realistic dolls protect body satisfaction in young girls? Body Image 37: 172-180.
• Thornborrow, Tracey, Onwuegbusi, Tochukwu, Mohamed, Sophie, Boothroyd, Lynda G. & Tovée, Martin J. (2020). Muscles and the Media: A Natural Experiment Across Cultures in Men’s Body Image. Frontiers in Psychology 11: 495.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Jucker, J.-L., Thornborrow, T. Barton, R., Burt, D.M. Evans, E.H. Jamieson, M. & Tovee, M.J. (2020). Television Consumption Drives Perceptions of Female Body Attractiveness in a Population Undergoing Technological Transition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 119(4): 839-860.
• Kant, R. M. Naina, Wong-Chung, Agnes, Evans, Elizabeth H., Stanton, Elaine C. & Boothroyd, Lynda G. (2019). The Impact of a Dissonance-Based Eating Disorders Intervention on Implicit Attitudes to Thinness in Women of Diverse Sexual Orientations. Frontiers in Psychology 10: 2611.
• Thornborrow, T., Jucker, J.-L., Boothroyd, L.G. & Tovée, M.J. (2018). Investigating the link between television viewing and men’s preferences for female body size and shape in rural Nicaragua. Evolution and Human Behavior 39(5): 538-546.
• Jucker, J. L., Thornborrow, T., Beierholm, U., Burt, D. M., Barton, R. A., Evans, E. H., Jamieson, M. & Boothroyd, L. G. (2017). Nutritional status and the influence of TV consumption on female body size ideals in populations recently exposed to the media. Scientific Reports 7(1): 8438.
• Boothroyd, Lynda G. & Cross, Catharine P. (2017). Father absence and gendered traits in sons and daughters. PLOS ONE 12(7): e0179954.
• Kuay, Hue San, Tiffin, Paul A., Boothroyd, Lynda G., Towl, Graham J. & Centifanti, Luna C. M. (2017). A New Trait-Based Model of Child-to-Parent Aggression. Adolescent Research Review 2(3): 199-211.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Gray, A.W., Headland, T.W., Uehara, R.T., Waynforth, D., Burt, D.M. & Pound, N. (2017). Male facial appearance and offspring mortality in two traditional societies. PLoS One 12(1): e0169181.
• Schmitt, David, Alcalay, Lidia, Allik, Jüri, Alves, I.C.B., Anderson, Craig, Angelini, A.L., Asendorpf, Jens, Austers, Ivars, Balaguer, Isabel, Baptista, Américo, Bender, Sóley, Bennett, Kevin, Bianchi, Gabriel, Birashk, Behrooz, Bleske, April, Boholst, Fredrick, Boothroyd, L.G., Borg Cunen, Mary, Borja, Teresa, Bos, Arjan, Brainerd, Edwin, Brase, Gary, Brites, José, Burakova-Lorgnier, M., Byrd, Mark, Camilleri, J.A., Camperio Ciani, Andrea, Caral, Leo, Carnelley, Katherine, Carvalho, Marina, Casson, Janette, Castillo, Isabel, Castro, Alejandro, Casullo, Maria, Chirkov, Valery, Choi, Jean, Cohen, Danielle, Collin-Hansen, Cecilie, Commisso, Melissa, Consuegra, Elvira, Cordovez, Lorena, Corrêa Varella, Marco, Cukur, Cem, Cunningham, Michael, Curl, Layton, Daniel, Petra, Denissen, Jaap, Desmarais, Serge, DeSouza, Eros, Diaz, Rolando, Duynslaeger, Marijke, Elias, M., Endriulaitiene, Aukse, Eremsoy, Ekin, Expósito, Francisca, Falzon, Ruth, Fernandez, Ana Maria, Fernando, Kumari, Ferreira, José, Fink, Bernhard, Fisher, Maryanne, Fitness, Julie, Flowers, Karissa, Frederick, David, Fry, Sirpa, Fukushima, Osamu, Gaines Jr., Stanley, Galliher, Renee, Gandari, E., Geher, Glenn, Gentile, Douglas, Geri, Jessica, Giri, V.N., Giunta, Stephen, Golden, Deborah, Gordon, Kristina, Gordon, Fiona, Grammer, Karl, Grimaldi, Liria, Hajdú, Endre, Halberstadt, Jamin, Hald, Gert, Halim, Magdalena, Haque, Shamsul, Harlem, Siri, Hearns, Krystle, Heaven, Patrick, Helweg, Marie, Herrera, Eduardo, Herrera, Dora, Hertel, Janine, Hoffmann, Heather, Høgh, Henrik, Houle, Barbara, Hudek, Jasna, Jaafar, Jas, Kafetsios, Konstantinos, Kardum, Igor, Khoury, Brigitte, Kökény, Tibor, Koller, Silvia, Konrads, Solvina, Kraft, John, Kuhle, Barry, Kun, Agota, Lányi, Katalin, Lauri, Maryanne, Lavy, Shiri, Lawal, Olufemi, Legkauskas, Visvaldas, Li, Chen, Lloyd, Robert, Locke, Kenneth, Lombardo, Sylvie, Luksik, Ivan, Lythe, Brian, Lyubomirsky, Sonja, Malinen, Sanna, Martin, Heather, Mikulincer, Mario, Mills, Michael, Mordeno, Imelu, Moya, Miguel, Ndeya, C., Nelissen, Mark, Neyer, Franz, Nyborg, Helmuth, Oliveira, V.B., Opre, Adrian, Osman, Suzanne, Ottesen Kennair, Leif, Overwalle, Frank, Paulhus, Delroy, Pawlowski, Boguslaw, Penke, Lars, Peplau, Letitia, Petrovic, Nebojsa, Platek, Steven, Podobnik, Nuška, Polonyi, Tünde, Popper, Miroslav, Rowatt, Wade, Ruch, Willibald, Rukuni, Margaret, Rus, Velko, Sagarin, Brad, Sakaguchi, Kikue, Salas, Sonia, Sandnabba, N., Santtila, Pekka, Schachner, Dory, Schmidt, Monika, Schütz, Astrid, Shackelford, Todd, Shaver, Phillip, Sibisi, Lindiwe, Sichona, Francis, Simonetti, Franco, Sineshaw, Tilahun, Souma, Toshihiko, Stefanovic Stanojevic, Tatjana, Sukiennik, Irmina, Sümer, Nebi, Szeghy, Petra, Szente, Sara, Szlendak, Tomasz, Tefera, Daniel, Thoma, Niki, Tifferet, Sigal, Tkach, Chris, Tordai, Zita, Tranthan, Eleanor, Tsaousis, Ioannis, Tungaraza, F.S.K., van Empelen, Pepijn, Vanwesenbeeck, Ine, Vera, Pablo, Voracek, Martin, Vorontsov, Dmitry, Wan, Wendy, Weiss, Petr, Welsh, Deborah, Widyatmoko, Siswa, Woertman, Liesbeth, Wood, Eileen, Woodward, Lucinda, Ye, Hai, Youn, Gahyun & Zupančič, Agata (2017). Narcissism and the Strategic Pursuit of Short-Term Mating: Universal Links across 11 World Regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2. Psychological Topics 26(1): 89-137.
• Boothroyd, L.G. & Cross, C.P. (2016). The Impact of Parenthood on Physical Aggression: Evidence from criminal data. Aggressive Behavior 42(6): 577-584.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Jucker, J.L., Thornborrow, T., Jamieson, M.A., Burt, D.M., Barton, R.A., Evans, E.H. & Tovée, M. J. (2016). Television exposure predicts body size ideals in rural Nicaragua. British Journal of Psychology 107(4): 752-767.
• Vukovic, J., Boothroyd, L.G., Meins, E. & Burt, D.M. (2015). Concurrent parent–child relationship quality is associated with an imprinting-like effect in children’s facial preferences. Evolution and Human Behavior 36(4): 331-336.
• Evans, EH, Boothroyd, LG, Muscariello, E, Stephan, BCM Nasti, G, Colantuoni, A & Siervo, M (2015). Lower weight loss expectations and healthier eating attitudes in older overweight and obese women attempting weight loss. Clinical Obesity 5(3): 136.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Meins, E., Vukovic, J. & Burt, D.M. (2014). Developmental changes in children's facial preferences. Evolution and Human Behavior 35(5): 376-383.
• Boothroyd, Lynda G. & Brewer, Gayle (2014). Self-Reported Impulsivity, Rather than Sociosexuality, Predicts Women’s Preferences for Masculine Features in Male Faces. Archives of Sexual Behavior 43(5): 983-988.
• Mo, J., Cheung, Kate W. K., Gledhill, Lucinda J., Pollet, Thomas V., Boothroyd, Lynda G. & Tovée, Martin J. (2014). Perceptions of Female Body Size and Shape in China, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. Cross-Cultural Research 48(1): 78-103.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Craig, P.S., Crossman, R.J. & Perrett, D.I. (2013). Father absence and age at first birth in a western sample. American Journal of Human Biology 25(3): 366–369.
• Evans, E.H., Tovee, M.T., Boothroyd, L.G. & Drewett, R. (2013). Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes in 7 to 11-year-old girls: testing a sociocultural model. Body Image 10(1): 8-15.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Scott, I., Gray, A.W., Coombes, C. & Pound, N. (2013). Male Facial Masculinity as a Cue to Health Outcomes. Evolutionary Psychology 11(5): 1044-1058.
• Scott, I.M.L., Clark, A.P., Boothroyd, L.G. & Penton-Voak, I.S. (2013). Do men’s faces really signal heritable immunocompetence? Behavioral Ecology 24(3): 579-589.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Tovée, M.T. & Pollett, T. (2012). Visual Diet versus Associative Learning as Mechanisms of Change in Body Size Preferences. PLoS ONE 7(11): e48691.
• Gray, Alan W. & Boothroyd, Lynda G. (2012). Female facial appearance and health. Evolutionary Psychology 10(1): 66-77
• Boothroyd, L. G., Cross, C. P., Gray, A. W., Coombes, C. & Gregson-Curtis, K. (2011). Perceiving the facial correlates of sociosexuality: Further evidence. Personality and Individual Differences 50(3): 422-425.
• Re, D.E., Coetzee, V., Xiao, D.K., Buls, D., Tiddeman, B.P., Boothroyd, L.G. & Perrett, D.I. (2011). Viewing heavy bodies enhances preferences for facial adiposity. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 9: 295-308
• Jones, B.C., Boothroyd, L.G., Feinberg, D.R. & DeBruine, L. (2010). Age at menarche predicts individual differences in women’s preferences for masculinized male voices in adulthood. Personality and Individual Differences 48(7): 860-863.
• Boothroyd, Lynda G, Lawson, Jamie F & Burt, D Michael (2009). Testing immuncompetence explanations of male facial masculinity. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 7(1): 65-81.
• Boothroyd, L.G. & Perrett, D.I. (2008). Father absence, parent-daughter relationships and partner preferences. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 6(3): 187-205.
• Pawlowski, B., Boothroyd, L.G., Perrett, D.I. & Kluska, S. (2008). Is female attractiveness related to final reproductive success? Collegium Antropologicum 32(2): 457-460
• Boothroyd, L.G., Jones, B.C., Burt, D.M., DeBruine, L.M. & Perrett, D.I. (2008). Facial correlates of sociosexuality. Evolution & Human Behavior 29(3): 211-218.
• Wiszewska, A., Pawlowski, B. & Boothroyd, L.G. (2007). Father-daughter relationship as a moderator of sexual imprinting: a facialmetric study. Evolution & Human Behavior 28(4): 248-252
• Boothroyd, L.G., Jones, B.C., Burt, D.M. & Perrett, D.I. (2007). Partner characteristics associated with masculinity, health and maturity in male faces. Personality and Individual Differences 43(5): 1161-1173.
• Boothroyd, L.G. & Perrett, D.I. (2006). Facial and bodily correlates of family background. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 273(1599): 2375-2380.
• Law-Smith, M. J., Perrett, D. I., Jones, B. C., Cornwell, R. E., Moore, F. R., Feinberg, D. R., Boothroyd, L. G., Durrani, S. J., Stirrat, M. R., Whiten, S., Pitman, R. M. & Hillier, S. G. (2006). Facial appearance is a cue to oestrogen levels in women. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological sciences 273(1583): 135-140.
• DeBruine, L. M., Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., Boothroyd, L. G., Perrett, D. I., Penton-Voak, I. S., Cooper, P. A., Penke, L., Feinberg, D. R. & Tiddeman, B. P. (2006). Correlated preferences for facial masculinity and ideal or actual partner's masculinity. Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences 273(1592): 1355-1360.
• Jones, B.C., Little, A.C., Boothroyd, L., DeBruine, L.M., Feinberg, D.R., Smith, M.J. Law, Cornwell, R.E., Moore, F.R. & Perrett, D.I. (2005). Commitment to relationships and preferences for femininity and apparent health in faces are strongest on days of the menstrual cycle when progesterone level is high. Hormones and Behavior 48(3): 283-290.
• Boothroyd, L.G., Jones, B.C., Burt, D. M., Cornwell, R. E., Little, A. C., Tiddeman, B.P. & Perrett, D.I. (2005). Facial masculinity is related to perceived age, but not perceived health. Evolution and Human Behavior 26(5): 417-431.
• Feinberg, D.R., Jones, B.C., DeBruine, L. M., Moore, F.R., Law Smith, M.J., Cornwell, R. E., Tiddeman, B.P., Boothroyd, L.G. & Perrett, D.I. (2005). The voice and face of woman: one ornament that signals quality? Evolution and Human Behavior 26(5): 398-408.
• Jones, B. C., Perrett, D. I., Little, A. C., Boothroyd, L., Cornwell, R. E., Feinberg, D. R., Tiddeman, B. P., Whiten, S., Pitman, R. M., Hillier, S. G., Burt, D. M., Stirrat, M. R., Smith, M. J. L. & Moore, F. R. (2005). Menstrual cycle, pregnancy and oral contraceptive use alter attraction to apparent health in faces. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 272(1561): 347-354.
• Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., Boothroyd, L., Feinberg, D. R., Cornwell, R. E., DeBruine, L. M., Roberts, S. C., Penton-Voak, I. S., Law-Smith, M. J., Moore, F. R., Davis, H. P. & Perrett, D. I. (2005). Women's physical and psychological condition independently predict their preference for apparent health in faces. Evolution and Human Behavior 26(6): 451-457.
• Cornwell, R. E., Boothroyd, L., Burt, D. M., Feinberg, D. R., Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., Pitman, R., Whiten, S. & Perrett, D. I. (2004). Concordant preferences for opposite-sex signals? Human pheromones and facial characteristics. Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences 271(1539): 635-640.