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.
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