Staff profile

My research focusses on sexual selection in humans. I am broadly interested in which traits influence how attractive we perceive another person to be, and why. Do we learn to perceive certain traits as attractive – or are our preferences evolved adaptations to find the best quality mate? Do attractive traits reliable index mate quality – or do we just assume they do? I am particularly interested in the role of sexually dimorphic traits (commonly referred to as masculinity in men and femininity in women) in interpersonal attraction and mate choice/mate competition. I am also interested in the pursuit of male status, and especially what role physically formidable traits, such as increased strength and body size, may play when men climb status hierarchies. 

Journal Article

• Lidborg, L. H., Cross, C. P., & Boothroyd, L. G. (2022). A meta-analysis of the association between male dimorphism and fitness outcomes in humans. eLife, 11, Article e65031. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.65031
• Kowal, M., Sorokowski, P., Pisanski, K., Valentova, J. V., Varella, M. A., Frederick, D. A., …Zumárraga-Espinosa, M. (2022). Predictors of enhancing human physical attractiveness: Data from 93 countries. Evolution and Human Behavior, 43(6), 455-474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.08.003
• Brozzoli, C., Roy, A. C., Lidborg, L. H., & Lövdén, M. (2019). Language as a Tool: Motor Proficiency Using a Tool Predicts Individual Linguistic Abilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 1639. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01639