Health, attractiveness, and marriageability among Aka hunter-gatherers and Ngandu farmer adolescents and young adults in the Central African Republic

This study investigates how adolescents from two culturally distinct Central African communities—the Aka hunter-gatherers and Ngandu farmers—perceive health, attractiveness, and marriageability, focusing on how local socio-ecological contexts shape perceptions of health, attraction, and mate preferences. The research examines how body mass index and parasite load relate to perceived health and attractiveness. Seventy-five adolescents (39 Aka and 36 Ngandu) evaluated photographs of peers for health, attractiveness, and marriagability, while physical health was objectively measured using anthropometric and parasitological data. Regression analyses revealed that BMI was a consistent and significant predictor of both perceived health and attractiveness, whereas total parasite load did not significantly influence either outcome. Notably, perceptions of health strongly predicted attractiveness and marriageability, but not vice versa. Ethnic and gender differences in perception were also found: Aka adolescents prioritized social traits like kindness and cooperation, while Ngandu participants emphasized physical cleanliness and robustness. Male raters showed more variability and stricter standards, particularly when evaluating females. These findings underscore the role of robust phenotypic features, such as BMI, in determining how health, beauty, and reproductive value are interpreted. This research contributes to understanding how evolutionarily evolved preferences and cultural contexts shape perceptions of health, attraction, and marriageability.