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Smooth dancers are poetry in emotion - study
Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:03 PM GMT10
 

LONDON (Reuters) - The best dancers have the most symmetrical bodies and a head start in being chosen as the most promising mate, according to new research.

A study published in Nature science journal used motion capture technology to film 183 Jamaican men and women dancing for one minute to the same popular tune.

Samples of these were then shown to 155 of the dancers' peers, none of whom was able to recognize the individual they were watching and who were therefore not influenced by appearance or familiarity.

The symmetry of the dancers was assessed by matching their elbows, wrists, knees, ankles, feet, ears, and third, fourth and fifth fingers.

The result was a resounding victory for symmetrical men and women over their asymmetrical peers.

Not only did women overwhelmingly prefer dances performed by symmetrical men, but men preferred dances by symmetrical women -- although the link was not as strong.

"As predicted, there was a significant effect of symmetry and sex, and there was a significant interaction between them on dance ability," said the researchers, led by William Brown of Rutgers University in New Jersey.

"Symmetrical males were evaluated as significantly better dancers than asymmetrical males, accounting for 48 percent of the variance in dance ability.

"Even though symmetrical females were significantly better dancers than asymmetrical females, female symmetry only accounted for 23 percent of dance ability," they added.

However, they stopped short of saying why symmetry was so crucial and said instead further research was necessary.

"Attractive dances may be more difficult to perform, more rhythmic, more energetic, more energy efficient, or any combination of these factors.

"Does dance ability correlate with reproductive success? We plan to address this question with long-term data from the same population," they concluded.



© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.


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