Devendra Singh
{{for|the king of Manipur and the Indian boxer|Debindro Singh|Devendro Singh}}
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Devendra Singh (January 12, 1938 – May 18, 2010) was a professor of Psychology at the University of Texas, known largely for his research regarding the evolutionary significance of human attraction.
Biography
Singh was born in 1938 in Urai, India. Having first taken degrees in philosophy and psychology (Agra University), he completed his PhD at Ohio State University in 1966. Singh took up teaching positions at Wright State University and North Dakota State University before moving to the University of Texas at Austin in 1969.
A pioneer in the field of evolutionary psychology, Singh's most notable research concerned the evolutionary significance of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). In 1993, he was the first to elucidate the concept and significance of this ratio as an indicator of attractiveness.{{cite journal|title=Adaptive significance of female physical attractiveness: Role of waist-to-hip ratio.|first=Devendra|last=Singh|date=1 August 1993|journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology|volume=65|issue=2|pages=293–307|doi=10.1037/0022-3514.65.2.293|pmid=8366421|citeseerx=10.1.1.492.9539}}{{cite journal|title= Body shape and women's attractiveness|date=2011-02-06 |doi=10.1007/BF02692203 |pmid = 24214368|volume=4 |issue= 3|journal=Human Nature |pages=297–321|last1= Singh|first1= Devendra|s2cid=26659163 }} In brief, Singh discovered that men rated women with low WHR (0.7) as optimally attractive, noting that lower levels of WHR correlated to lower risk of disease and greater fertility. Subsequent research demonstrated the cross-cultural {{cite web|url=http://www.radiologysource.org/periodicals/medima/article/S1090-5138%2809%2900088-9/abstract |title=Elsevier |publisher=Radiologysource.org |date= |accessdate=2011-02-25}}{{cite journal|title=Body fat distribution and perception of desirable female body shape by young black men and women |date=1993-10-08 |doi=10.1002/1098-108X(199411)16:3<289::AID-EAT2260160310>3.0.CO;2-9 |volume=16 |issue=3 |journal=International Journal of Eating Disorders |pages=289–294|last1=Singh |first1=Devendra |pmid=7833963 }} and cross-temporal{{cite journal|author=Devendra Singh1*, Peter Renn2 and Adrian Singh1 |title=Did the perils of abdominal obesity affect depiction of feminine beauty in the sixteenth to eighteenth century British literature? Exploring the health and beauty link — Proceedings B |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=274 |issue=1611 |pages=891–894 |date=2007-03-22 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2006.0239 |pmid=17251110 |pmc=2093974 }} appeal of a low WHR. One of his final research papers on the topic of WHR found that the "hourglass figure" (optimal WHR) activates brain centers that drive appetitive sociality/attention toward females that represent the highest-quality reproductive partners.{{cite journal|title=Optimal Waist-to-Hip Ratios in Women Activate Neural Reward Centers in Men |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=e9042 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0009042 |pmid=20140088 |pmc=2816713 |year = 2010|last1 = Platek|first1 = Steven M.|last2=Singh |first2=Devendra |bibcode=2010PLoSO...5.9042P |doi-access=free }}
Although principally affiliated with the field of evolutionary psychology, his other research pursuits included substance abuse, obesity, eating disorders, motivation, and the psychology of sex.
References
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External links
- Devendra Singh's University of Texas webpage {{cite web |url=http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/faculty/singh/singh.html |title=Devendra Singh, Ph.D |publisher=Psy.utexas.edu |date=2010-07-08 |accessdate=2011-02-25 |archive-date=2010-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116082727/http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/FACULTY/Singh/Singh.html |url-status=dead }}
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Category:Ohio State University alumni