Women take into account male body shape, height and size of genitalia to determine the sexual appeal of men. Before clothing, the non-retractable human penis would have been conspicuous to potential mates. This has generated suggestions that penis size partly evolved due to female choice. We show, based upon female assessment of digitally projected life-size, computer-generated images, that penis size interacts with body shape and height to determine male sexual attractiveness. Our results support the hypothesis that female mate choice could have driven the evolution of larger penises in humans. In a broader context, our results show that pre-copulatory sexual selection can play a role in the evolution of genital traits.
Watch a youtube video discussing the science here
Check out a write-up in The Conversation here
