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Longer legs 'are more attractive'
17 January 2008
The science behind the attractiveness of longer legs has been explained by researchers from Poland.
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According to a study published in the New Scientist, members of both sexes elicit a stronger response towards pictures of a person in which the legs had been altered to be five per cent longer than they really were.
However, pictures of people whose legs had been made to appear 15 per cent longer were deemed a turn-off compared to the original, while legs that are ten per cent longer are apparently no more - or no less - alluring than those of normal length.
The results go some way to explaining the appeal of pint-sized pop princess Kylie Minogue who, despite being only 5ft tall, has topped many-a-poll of "best celebrity legs" - although on the small side, her legs are proportionally long compared to the rest of her body.
For the average, 5ft 4in tall woman with an inside waist of 29in, her legs must be 30.5in long if they are to look their best.
Researchers from the University of Wroclaw analysed the responses of 218 male volunteers who looked at seven pictures of people with varying leg lengths and Dr Boguslaw Pawlowski, who led the research, was able to conclude that "long legs signal health".
This ties in with other research which indicates that people with longer legs are more likely to be healthy.
For instance, a UK investigation has led to the hypothesis that shorter-legged people are more likely to have liver disease.
Meanwhile, Dr Pawlowski suggested that the results of the survey should apply to all, rather than just Poles.
He said he would be surprised if it was just people from Poland who preferred people with longer limbs.
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