Handgrip Strength as a Darwinian Fitness Indicator in Men

1/26/2019

Authors:
Andrew C. Gallup and Bernhard Fink

Handgrip strength (HGS) is a robust measure of overall muscular strength and function, and has long been predictive of a multitude of health factors and physical outcomes for both men and women. The fact that HGS represents such a ubiquitous measure of health and vitality may reflect the significance of this trait during human evolution. This trait is also highly sexually dimorphic due to influences of androgenic hormones and fat-free body mass, suggesting that it has been further elaborated through sexual selection. Consistent with this view, research within evolutionary psychology and related fields has documented distinct relationships between HGS and measures of social and sexual behavior, especially in men. Here, we review studies across different societies and cultural contexts showing that male HGS predicts measures of aggression and social dominance, perceived formidability, male-typical body morphology and movement, courtship display, physical attractiveness, and sexual behavior and reproductive fitness. These findings underscore the value of including HGS as an independent measure within studies examining human sexual selection, and corroborate existing research suggesting that specific features of physical strength have and continue to be under positive directional selection in men.

Handgrip Strength as a Fitness Indicator in MenThe marked sexual dimorphism in overall HGS, combined with the distinct genetic and developmental factors influencing men and women, suggests that during human evolutionary history specific features of upper-body muscularity were further elaborated among males through sexual selection. Increased physical strength would have undoubtedly been favored within contexts of direct male–male competition and fighting (Sell et al., 2009), protection from predators (Sell et al., 2012), hunting (Apicella, 2014), and tool use and manufacture (Young, 2003). Arguably, HGS in particular, rather than other features of upper-body muscularity, would have had tremendous importance within these contexts. In regards to fighting, HGS alone is a robust predictor of ability and outcomes. For example, the correlation between HGS and ranking among amateur middleweight boxers is 0.87 (Guidetti et al., 2002). In addition, forearm strength is particularly important for traditional forms of hunting (Smith et al., 2017). Furthermore, tool use and manufacture has likely played a direct role in shaping both precision and powerful gripping during human evolutionary history (Young, 2003). Due to the vital importance of this trait within the ancestral environment, cues of upper-body muscularity and formidability seem to be important features of female mate choice among modern humans as they account for ∼70% of the variance in male bodily attractiveness (Sell et al., 2017). Thus, HGS has likely been under directional selection in men as it relates to reproductive competition.
Consistent with the sex-specific role of HGS within contexts of social and sexual competition, Gallup et al. (2007) found that HGS predicted self-reported levels of aggression, male-typical body morphology, and sexual behavior in men, while none of the variables examined were correlated with HGS in a comparable sample of women. Here, we review the latest literature to investigate the extent to which these initial findings have been replicated and extended. We focused on peer-reviewed articles in evolutionary psychology and related fields that explicitly examined relationships between HGS and measures of inter- and intra-sexual selection. Although a growing number of studies have included HGS within composite measures of upper-body strength (e.g., Sell et al., 2009; Lukaszewski and Roney, 2011; Smith et al., 2017), many fail to report on the specific connection of HGS to the dependent measures. However, in cases where HGS is parceled out of these composite measures we do report the documented effects. Table Table11 presents the findings over the last decade specifically linking HGS to measures of intra- and inter-sexual selection and reproductive fitness.

Click link for full article
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5898311/#!po=0.961538

0 Comments

NEXT LEVEL ATHLETES

2022
Luke Moeller — University of Arizona — baseball

Riley Valentine — Texas A&M University — softball

Ilana Weiss — University of Rochester — softball

Tommy LaPorte — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball

Chase Valentine — University of Tennessee — baseball

Andrew Carroll — University of Arizona — baseball

Colin Christensen — Antelope Valley College — baseball

Gavin Smith — University of Arizona — football

Trey Newman — Arizona State University — baseball

Jon Enright — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball

Kiilu Davis — Florida A&M University — baseball

CJ Eastwood — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology — football

Sachin Hill -- Friends University -- baseball

Daniel Osborn — Salem University — baseball

Brandon Nacario — Grinnell College — basketball

Collin Riff — Chandler-Gilbert Community College — baseball

2021
Wes Kath — Chicago White Sox (2nd Round) -- baseball

Anthony Franklin — Stanford University — football

Brett Picus — Illinois Institute of Technology — baseball

Sabrina Ibsen — Park University — softball

Cayden Collins — Yavapai College — baseball

Mitch Moralez — Utah Valley University — baseball

Ryan Campos — Arizona State University — baseball

James Jaquint — University of San Diego — football

John Lauinger — Oakland University — baseball

Rogan Freeburg — Eastern New Mexico University — football

Damon Ingram — Bellevue College — baseball

Trace Laudenschlager — University of Mary Harden-Baylor - Baseball

Peyton McGregor — Oakland University — baseball

Tyler Farrell — Waldorf University — baseball

Kadden Drew — Paradise Valley CC — baseball

Chase Valentine — Central Arizona College— baseball

Jake Alwine — Paradise Valley CC — baseball

Dayton Francis — Paradise Valley CC — baseball

Isaiah Harris Jr — Nebraska Wesleyan University — football

Morgan Kubicki — Kent State University — lacrosse

Luke Newman — Glendale CC — baseball

Tyler Dorsch — Concordia University Chicago — Baseball

Christian Kirkman — Arizona Christian University — football

Maguire Peterson — University of Kansas — baseball

Tyler Krater — Concordia University Chicago — baseball

Elijah Eynon — Glendale CC — baseball

Garrison Pregulman — Los Angeles Pierce College -- baseball

Michael Riley — Mesa CC — baseball

2020
Griffen Chewning — South Mountain CC — Baseball

Dylan Fesperman — South Mountain CC — Baseball

Jaylan Jeffers — University of Oregon — Football

Spencer Roy — Army (West Point) — Football

Connor Butt — Army (West Point) — Football

Adam Verbalaitis — Northern Arizona University — Football

Sienna Duffill — Rollins College — Lacrosse

Dallas Odle — Cal State University Bakersfield — Soccer

Brock Locnikar — Harvard University — Football

Max Kendall — Utah Valley University — Baseball

Peyton McGregor — College of Southern Nevada — Baseball

Nicholas Fratantoni — Ottawa University — Baseball

Mason Francis — El Paso CC — Baseball

Jake Farrell — University of Hawaii — Football

Austin Pickowicz — Paradise Valley CC — Baseball

Caden Hoffman — Concordia University @ St. Paul — Basketball

Shane Sunday — Army (West Point) — Football

Calvin Schapira — Purdue University — Baseball

Matt Leonard — Lake Forest College — Football

Amayah Kirkman — Azusa Pacific University — Basketball

Greg Bozinovich — Gateway CC — Baseball

Nolan McLane — Gonzaga University — Baseball

2019
Jake Smith — University of Texas — Football

Clay Randall — Air Force University — Football/Baseball

Adam Campbell — Simpson College — Football

Paul Marsillo — Pepperdine University — Baseball

Mason Johnson — Emory University — Basketball

Nolan Brooks — University of Evansville — Baseball

Jacob Griffin — Ottawa University — Baseball

Trey Newman — Utah Valley University — Baseball

Chris Duran — Ottawa University — Football

Patrick Donovan — Chandler Gilbert CC — Baseball

Carter McCarthy — Stony Brook University — Football

Kj Jarrell — Arizona State University — Football

Stone Matthews — Lake Forest College — Football

Tyler Mead — Utah Valley University — Baseball

Dylan Fesperman — Scottsdale CC — Baseball

ARTICLES