#mediainfluence — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #mediainfluence, aggregated by home.social.
-
On the Sartorial Decline of the Nigerian Political Class: Monday Okpebholo, Yekini Idiaye, and the Wardrobe of Impunity By Lawson Akhigbe
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State is a man who, on the evidence of a recent photograph shaking hands with new Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly Yekini Idiaye, appears to have mistaken the office of Chief Executive for a weekend errand run. A branded baseball cap. Clothing better suited to a beer parlour than a state formal meeting. Khaki trousers that suggest safari rather than sovereignty. This is not a man dressing down to meet the people. This is a man dressing as though the people are an inconvenience he is squeezing in between other appointments. -
The People Did Vote for Mass Immigration – Through Parliament by Lawson Akhigbe
One of the most persistent slogans of Britain’s political far right is the claim that “the people did not vote for mass immigration.” It is a phrase repeated endlessly in television studios, social media posts, and political rallies. It sounds persuasive. It sounds democratic. It is also fundamentally wrong. -
The Sky Becomes a Minefield: How Drone Swarms Are Ending the Age of Air Superiority by Gandalv
NN reports that the pilot of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, shot down over Iran in April, described a sight that immediately triggered debate inside the U.S. Intelligence Community: multiple Iranian drones in the air, apparently interconnected or coordinated, moving as one. One source described larger drones with smaller drones beneath them, “like legs.” Another described it as a “minefield of drones” in the sky. -
Britannia Waives the Rules: Reform UK Ltd and the Audacity of the Uncomplicatedly Delusional By Lawson Akhigbe
There is a particular kind of political confidence that is indistinguishable, to the untrained eye, from clinical detachment from reality. It is the confidence of a man who, having just won a hand at poker, concludes that the laws of probability no longer apply to him. It announces itself loudly, dresses in a flag, and mistakes the echo of its own voice for the applause of nations. Ladies and gentlemen, Reform UK Ltd has had a good week at the local elections, and the results are as instructive as they are alarming, not merely because Nigel Farage’s vehicle of nationalist ambition has won council seats, but because winning appears to have emboldened the party to say the quiet parts of its manifesto even louder, with the serene self-assurance of people who have never had to read a treaty. -
DATE: August 4, 2026 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Study suggests waist-to-bust ratio, not waist-to-hip ratio, drives female body attractiveness among Japanese men
A recent study published in the journal Japanese Psychological Research suggests that a woman’s waist-to-bust ratio plays a larger role in how Japanese men perceive her physical attractiveness than her waist-to-hip ratio. The findings provide evidence that cultural background and media exposure might shape physical preferences more strongly than universally evolved biological instincts.
Tomohiro Suzuki, a professor at Wayo Women’s University and author of the book The Psychology of Clothing and Personal Adornment as a Survival Technique, led the research. He initiated the study to test the idea that certain body proportions are universally appealing regardless of geography.
“How we judge physical appearance varies a lot depending on the era and culture,” Suzuki said. “That’s true not just for fashion and make-up, but for body shape as well. Thinness is celebrated in some cultures, but not in others.”
Physical attractiveness is often linked to specific body proportions. Two of the most commonly studied measurements are the waist-to-hip ratio and the waist-to-bust ratio. The waist-to-hip ratio is calculated by dividing the circumference of the waist by the circumference of the hips. A lower number indicates a narrower waist relative to the hips.
In evolutionary psychology, a lower waist-to-hip ratio is often viewed as an indicator of youth and reproductive health. The evolutionary perspective proposes that observers subconsciously use the waist-to-hip ratio as a cue for a potential partner’s reproductive potential. For example, some evolutionary psychologists argue that an hourglass shape provides a reliable indicator of youth and a lack of previous pregnancies.
Past studies in Western nations often report that a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 is perceived as the most attractive. “But when it comes to body proportions, there’s been this long-standing idea that a Waist-to-Hip Ratio of 0.7 is the universal ideal,” Suzuki added.
The waist-to-bust ratio works similarly, calculated by dividing the waist measurement by the bust measurement. A lower value indicates a larger bust relative to the waist. Past research on these proportions often relied on edited photographs or simple line drawings. These methods can create unnatural body shapes by adjusting the width of a figure without properly calculating realistic circumferences.
“The thing is, when we looked closely at the tools used in past studies, we noticed some issues,” Suzuki explained. “Many weren’t created carefully enough, or they ignored how body types differ from region to region. In short, the results of those studies might have just been driven by the flaws in their testing tools.”
When previous researchers adjusted circumferences using basic computer software, they often created unstable body parameters. Adjusting a hip measurement based solely on a front-facing waist measurement can distort the entire body image. This instability makes it difficult to tell if a participant prefers a specific proportion or simply prefers the overall body size that resulted from the digital editing.
Additionally, many studies conducted in non-Western countries have used body silhouettes based on Caucasian body types. Because body shapes and skeletal structures vary across different ethnic groups, using Western body models might not accurately capture attractiveness standards in other parts of the world.
“So in our research, we built a new tool based on actual body measurement data and tailored to the Japanese context,” Suzuki said. “We wanted to get a truly accurate picture of how people in Japan perceive and evaluate body image.”
In Japan, cultural discussions of beauty often prioritize overall body size and thinness over specific curvy shapes. Japanese culture also tends to favor smaller buttocks compared to the preferences observed in some Western and Latin American cultures. The researchers also wanted to distinguish between two specific types of appeal: aesthetic attractiveness (general visual beauty) and sexual attractiveness (a more specific physical draw).
To ensure realistic body proportions, the researchers used measurement data from actual Japanese women in their twenties, provided by a Japanese clothing company. They used this data to create three-dimensional simulation models, which were then projected into two-dimensional silhouette images. By using a simulation model built from objective body measurement data, the current study avoided the artificial distortions seen in previous research.
Silhouette figure with waist-to-hip ratio of 0.9 and waist-to-bust ratio of 0.7.
The authors specifically controlled for body mass index, keeping all the silhouettes within a standard, healthy range of 20 to 22. Body mass index is a standard medical calculation based on height and weight used to categorize a person’s overall body size. The researchers manipulated the silhouettes to represent four different waist-to-hip ratios and four different waist-to-bust ratios. The values for both ratios were set at 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9, resulting in a total of sixteen unique body silhouettes.
The sample consisted of 398 Japanese men ranging in age from 20 to 59 years old. The average age of the participants was approximately 40 years old. The researchers evenly distributed the participants across four age decades to ensure a balanced sample. Each participant viewed the sixteen silhouettes in a randomized order. They rated each image on a six-point scale for both aesthetic attractiveness and sexual attractiveness.
The analysis showed that the waist-to-hip ratio had almost no effect on how the men rated the silhouettes. Variations in the waist-to-hip ratio did not yield statistically significant changes in visual beauty or sexual appeal. This finding contrasts with older Western studies that heavily emphasize the hip measurement as a universal standard of beauty.
“I was really surprised that our findings didn’t support the widely accepted belief that a WHR of 0.7 is the most attractive,” Suzuki told PsyPost. “Instead, we found that Waist-to-Bust Ratio (WBR) had a much stronger impact on attractiveness ratings than expected, which really brought home just how profound cultural influence can be.”
Instead of the hip measurement, the waist-to-bust ratio strongly influenced the attractiveness ratings. Silhouettes with a waist-to-bust ratio of 0.6 and 0.7 received the highest scores for both aesthetic and sexual attractiveness. As the waist-to-bust ratio increased to 0.8 and 0.9, the attractiveness scores dropped. For aesthetic appeal, the drop between 0.7 and 0.8 represented a moderate effect size, showing a noticeable decline in preference.
The patterns for sexual attractiveness mirrored those of aesthetic attractiveness. The lowest ratio of 0.6 edged out 0.7 by a small margin in sexual appeal. However, both lower ratios heavily outperformed the higher ratios of 0.8 and 0.9. The researchers noted that these preferences remained consistent across all age groups of the men who participated.
The preference for a 0.6 waist-to-bust ratio in this sample points to a potential distortion in modern beauty standards. A woman with a standard waist measurement of 65 centimeters would need a bust circumference of about 108 centimeters to achieve a 0.6 ratio. This specific body proportion is extremely rare in the actual Japanese population.
Because these extreme proportions are uncommon in natural populations, the strong preference for them suggests an environmental influence. Exposure to exaggerated body shapes in fiction, animation, and digital media might warp baseline expectations for physical attractiveness.
“First, I hope people realize that what’s considered an ‘attractive’ body shape varies widely across cultures,” Suzuki explained. “In fact, ideal beauty is largely shaped by cultural context rather than a fixed universal rule.”
“Second, I’d love for readers to look beyond just the findings and take an interest in how science reaches these conclusions,” Suzuki added. “Specifically, how the measurement tools we use can shape what we discover.”
These findings apply specifically to body shapes within an average weight range. The attractiveness ratings for different proportions might shift if the silhouettes depicted thinner or heavier body types. Previous research indicates that overall body mass often interacts with specific measurement ratios in complex ways.
The study only analyzed the preferences of male participants evaluating female body shapes. Generalizing these patterns to how women perceive other women’s bodies, or how women evaluate male bodies, requires different experimental designs. Future studies could incorporate female participants to see if their aesthetic judgments align with or diverge from the male participants’ ratings.
Testing these variables with accurately modeled silhouettes from various other ethnic groups would help determine where cultural preferences end and universal biological instincts begin. Researchers also need better methods to isolate aesthetic beauty from sexual appeal. These two forms of attractiveness often blend together in self-reported surveys, making it difficult to measure one without the influence of the other.
“Moving forward, I aim to more broadly explore how people evaluate physical appearance, and how they actively manage or try to control their own looks,” Suzuki said. “Ultimately, I hope to uncover the deeper psychological meaning that physical appearance holds for us in our everyday lives, and how it impacts our psychological well-being.”
The study, “Influence of Waist-to-Hip Ratio and Waist-to-Bust Ratio on Attractiveness of the Female Body Among Japanese: Using Figural Stimuli Based on Objective Measurements,” was authored by Tomohiro Suzuki, Taizo Kishimoto, and Hiroshi Imai.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #WaistToBustRatio #WHR #JapaneseBodyImage #AttractivenessStudy #CulturalInfluence #BodyProportions #FigureStimuli #PsychologyOfBeauty #MediaInfluence #WesternVsAsianStandards
-
The Presidential Echo Chamber: From Buhari’s Attack Dogs to Tinubu’s Spin Doctors By Lawson Akhigbe
Daniel Bwala One of the easiest ways to understand a President is not to listen to his speeches. Listen to his spokesmen. A President’s spokesman is like a family portrait hanging in the living room. It may not be the President himself, but it tells you everything about the owner of the house. Spokesmen do not accidentally become spokesmen. They are selected, promoted, protected and retained. They are trusted with the most valuable commodity in politics: the President’s voice. That […] -
The Karma of the Beautiful Game: How Spain’s 2026 Victory Rewrote the Script for Trump and the Aggies
In many ways, Spain’s 2026 triumph stands as a glorious, inescapable metaphor for what happens when performative ego, systemic meddling, and brute gamesmanship run smack into the unyielding wall of competence and poise. -
Spotlight on Central Asia looks at foreign influence in the region’s media with @[email protected] joining @[email protected] to discuss a new EU report & narratives pushed by Russia & China https://ow.ly/sFfK50ZfT7Q #Podcast #SoftPower #Disinformation #MediaInfluence #CentralAsia #EUPolicy
Pannier and Hillard's Spotligh... -
Credentials Subordinated as Political Alignment Dominates Expert Trust
New research shows people trust experts who share their political views more than those with better qualifications. This affects who people believe.
#ExpertTrust, #PoliticalBias, #PublicOpinion, #Research, #MediaInfluence
https://newsletter.tf/politics-over-qualifications-trust-based-on-beliefs/
-
A new study found people trust experts who share their political opinions more than those with better qualifications. This is a big change in how we choose who to believe.
#ExpertTrust, #PoliticalBias, #PublicOpinion, #Research, #MediaInfluence
https://newsletter.tf/politics-over-qualifications-trust-based-on-beliefs/ -
unitedforclimate.blogspot.com/2025/04/murd... MURDOCH'S INFLUENCE AND CLIMATE LIES Explore the impact of Murdoch's media empire on politics, democracy and climate misinformation. #MediaInfluence #Democracy #ClimateChange #Politics #Activism #DemocracyVsOligarchs
MURDOCH'S INFLUENCE AND CLIMAT... -
bsky.app/starter-pack... MURDOCH'S INFLUENCE AND CLIMATE LIES Explore the impact of Murdoch's media empire on politics, democracy, and climate misinformation. #MediaInfluence #Democracy #ClimateChange #Politics #Activism #DemocracyVsOligarchy
RE: https://bsky.brid.gy/convert/ap/at://did:plc:k3ltkncdcfadlbjo25pjaozr/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3lnaupohfa62j -
unitedforclimate.blogspot.com/2025/04/murd... MURDOCH'S INFLUENCE AND CLIMATE LIES Explore the impact of Murdoch's media empire on politics, democracy and climate misinformation. #MediaInfluence #Democracy #ClimateChange #Politics #Activism #DemocracyVsOligarchs
MURDOCH'S INFLUENCE AND CLIMAT... -
bsky.app/starter-pack... MURDOCH'S INFLUENCE AND CLIMATE LIES Explore the impact of Murdoch's media empire on politics, democracy, and climate misinformation. #MediaInfluence #Democracy #ClimateChange #Politics #Activism #DemocracyVsOligarchy
RE: https://bsky.brid.gy/convert/ap/at://did:plc:k3ltkncdcfadlbjo25pjaozr/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3lnaupohfa62j -
ICYMI: Santo & Schwartz – “Psychology of Stupid” Analyses with Author (Compilation) https://mauineutralzone.com/video/santo-schwartz-psychology-of-stupid-analyses-with-author-compilation/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #Psychology #CognitiveBias #CriticalThinking #MediaInfluence #PublicDiscourse
-
For younger viewers especially, this trope can send a confusing message: that past actions don’t matter if you choose to be “good” later. It risks undermining the idea of accountability and responsibility. 7) #MediaInfluence #Parenting
-
For younger viewers especially, this trope can send a confusing message: that past actions don’t matter if you choose to be “good” later. It risks undermining the idea of accountability and responsibility. 7) #MediaInfluence #Parenting
-
What Influence Has the BBC Had on History?
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/head-head/what-influence-has-bbc-had-history
#HackerNews #WhatInfluenceHasBBCHadOnHistory #BBC #History #MediaInfluence #HistoryToday #Journalism
-
bsky.app/starter-pack... MURDOCH'S INFLUENCE AND CLIMATE LIES Explore the impact of Murdoch's media empire on politics, democracy, and climate misinformation. #MediaInfluence #Democracy #ClimateChange #Politics #Activism #DemocracyVsOligarchy
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:lafbr3dznxdyvgup2umwssht/post/3lpl4dll6ac2y -
Police hiring PR for viral content, raising questions of public narrative. #PolicePR #MediaInfluence #Meta
-
www.blueskypacks.com/starter-pack... unitedforclimate.blogspot.com/2025/04/murd... MURDOCH'S INFLUENCE AND CLIMATE LIES Explore the impact of Murdoch's media empire on politics, democracy and climate misinformation. #MediaInfluence #Democracy #ClimateChange #Politics #Activism #DemocracyVsOligarchy
Murdoch's Influence and Climat... -
NEW RESEARCH: Media moguls no longer decide Australian elections! A single TikTok from @abbiechatfield reaches 2/3 the audience of major newspapers. "Newspapers are no longer the titans they once were" says @JoshuaBlackAI. Full story: [link] #AusPol #MediaInfluence
-
Jérôme Viala-Gaudefroy unveils the radical shift in Donald Trump's presidency, transforming into an authoritarian regime that embraces chaos and centralizes power. The rhetoric has evolved to a neo-imperial economic view, driving a wedge in democratic norms while invoking martyrdom among supporters. This exploration reveals the historical context shaping Trumpism and its impact on American politics. Dive deeper into this insightful analysis: https://www.alternet.org/the-republican-party-s-50-year/ #DonaldTrump #Authoritarianism #Populism #PoliticalPolarization #History #CulturalWar #MediaInfluence #Trumpism #AmericanPolitics
-
Seth Rogen Speaks Truth to Billionaires, Gets Censored for It
https://kottke.org/25/04/seth-rogan-speaks-truth-to-billionaires-gets-censored-for-it
#HackerNews #SethRogen #Billionaires #Censorship #TruthSocial #MediaInfluence
-
Despite claims of "woke" media, Media Matters "found that right-leaning online shows dominate the ecosystem, with substantially larger audiences on both politics/news shows and supposedly nonpolitical shows that we determined often platformed ideological content or guests"
#CdnPoli Extrapolate Alberta Premier's recent south of the border escapades and audience...