Women’s perceptions of breast size, ptosis, and intermammary distance: Does breast morphology play a role in women’s intrasexual competition?

Abstract

Women's breasts are considered attractive and sexually appealing, perhaps due to their residual reproductive value. However, most research has focused on their intersexual selective display. The current study investigated women's perceptions of women's breasts when primed with an intrasexual competition prime. Across two studies, women (N = 467) were randomly assigned to a partner threat condition or control. They were asked to rate women's breasts that had been manipulated for their size, ptosis (i.e., sagginess), and intermammary distance (i.e., cleavage). Women with large breasts were rated as more attractive, fertile, reproductively successful, likely to befriend, threatening. and they were rated as less likely to be introduced to a current partner. More importantly, these ratings were influenced by the interaction between breast size, intermammary distance, and ptosis. The findings contribute to how women's breasts may be perceived from an intrasexual competitive perspective.