Another reason why men like curves

Nigella Lawson's voluptuous curves have given her a legion of male admirers, but a new academic study suggests that her appeal, and that of other curvy women, is based on more than the purely physical.

Have your say: are curvier women really more intelligent? Jessica Alba has the perfect wiggle, study says It is already known that curvaceous women live longer and that men find them more attractive but the new research suggests that they are also cleverer. Lawson graduated from Oxford before finding fame in the kitchen The study, to be published this week, shows that men who admire women with hourglass figures do so because they are more intelligent and therefore produce more intelligent children than waif-like women or those of "apple-shaped" proportions. The case of Lawson appears to bear out the findings. Possessing perhaps Britain's most famous hourglass figure, the cookery presenter is also an Oxford graduate. Rachel Weisz, the naturally curvy Oscar-winning actress, completed an English degree at Cambridge before she headed for Hollywood. Read more >>