Curvier Mommies Equal Smarter Babies

A study published in theJournal of Evolution and Human Behavior declares that women who have a lower waist-hip ratio tend to have babies who have higher cognitive abilities. Finally, a darn good reason to embrace my full hips with pride!

I just learned about this very important study this morning. Barbara, one of my dearest of friends, sent me an e-mail with the title, "Why I Love My Husband." He had found the article and forwarded it to his apppreciative wife and mother of three brainy children (if you get my drift). David certainly is a stand-up hubby. I think I love him too.

Ok, I am sure in your skepticism you are wanting details of the study. Perhaps you are rolling your eyes at how ridiculous it seems. Or, if you are a lady whose quest for a pair of jeans that fit both your waist and hour hips is like the iconic search for the Holy Grail, you are on the edge of your seats waiting to be enlightened. Here's the skinny on the study, Waist-hip ratio and congitive ability: is glueofemoral fat a priveileged store of neurodevelopmental resources? by William D. Lassek and Steven J.C. Gaulin.

Key Points of the Research that Concludes that Women with Curvy Hips Have Smarter Babies:

- Waist-hip ratio is a way to calculate how much fat a woman stores on her hips.

- Children who scored the highest in cognition tests were offspring of wide-hipped mothers who had low waist-hip ratio. Researchers theorize that fetuses benefit from "a rich supply of useful fatty acids." Mothers who lack full hips are deficient in said nutrients.

- A majority of teenage mothers do not have as much fat storage on her hips. In these instances, mother and baby often are in competition for these important fatty acids. This may impact the cognitive development of teenage mothers' babies. However, teenage moms who have a lower waist-hip ratio may aid their child's cognitive development.

- In contrast, upper-body fat of the mother has a negative influences on cognitive ability in her children.

- Researchers suggested that this may be an explanation as to why men prefer curvy hips. Darwin's Theory of Survival of the Fittest declares itself through the female body.

So there you have it ladies. Wide hips yield smart chicks. This revolutionary research should earn Lassek and Gaulin an Ig Nobel award. For those unfamiliar with Ig Nobel awards, these awards are a parody of the Nobel Prizes. They have honored high-calibre reasearch such as development of the brains of London taxi drivers, a method of stopping hiccups through digital rectal massage, and an investigation of side effects of sword-swallowing. Lassek and Gaulin should be lauded with the likes of this ground-breaking research.

Whatever the case, this seems like yet another great reason to put away those scrutinized Baby Einstein videos and pass the chocolate cake.