Having A Big Butt Is Good For Your Heart And Brain, Says Science

Another reason to start squatting.

By Shannon Ullman — Written on Sep 25, 2021

Photo: getty

Struggling to get in those squat sessions? Here's even more motivation to hit the gym: Big butts are all the rage!

This wasn’t always a trend, though. According to Patricia Garcia in Vogue, “In music videos, in Instagram photos, and on today's most popular celebrities, the measure of sex appeal is inextricably linked to the prominence of a woman's behind.

For years it was exactly the opposite; a large butt was not something one aspired to, rather something one tried to tame in countless exercise classes.”

While you might be squatting for the sake of looking like "one of those rap guy’s girlfriends," it turns out that a round bottom can be good for the heart and brain too.

As usual, science prevails, helping us figure out our obsession with big butt ladies. According to researchers at the University of Oxford, people who carry their body fat in their backsides and thighs are more likely than others to produce hormones that better metabolize sugars. This helps lower their risk of high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease.

However, people who are prone to carry their weight in their tummies are far more likely to have health problems that are related to obesity. This is because the fat that is stored in the abdomen is metabolically active, sending fatty contents throughout the entire body.

And while losing stomach fat seems like a good thing, it turns out that this loss causes a release of cytokines, which are linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and inflammation. The fat that is stored in the lower region of the body is much more stable, releases fewer cytokines, and is actually harder to lose.

Big butts have been linked to longer lives and also intelligence. The intelligence factor is due to the increased levels of Omega 3 fat levels, which aid in brain development. This fact is a reason why women with big butts are said to have smarter kids.

This doesn’t mean that you should try to force-feed your way to a bigger butt; it doesn’t work like that. Aside from exercise and diet, the size of your backside comes mostly from genetics. So, if your booty is flat like a TV screen, you can thank your parents.

If you’re wondering why men love women with round bottoms, this can also be explained by science. According to evolutionary psychologist, Gordon G. Gallup Jr., “The reason narrow waists and broad hips are so prized — the reason males rate these as being attractive, even though they don't have any insight into why they do — is two-fold.

It means, if a woman has a narrow waist, she's not pregnant. And if she has broad hips it means that the underlying skeletal morphology is probably such that she'd be able to have a relatively unencumbered childbirth.”

So, it seems that men like big butts because it signals that a woman is fertile and would make a great partner when it comes to having babies.