Someone who can cut a dash on the dance-floor has always been seen as a good catch, but scientists have now explained why.

It appears people who boogie better tend to be more symmetrical - which is something people look for in a mate.

Researchers from Rutgers University used motion-capture cameras to record dancers' moves.The study shows that the most symmetrical movers were considered to be the best dancers.

It was Charles Darwin who first suggested dance was part of courtship rituals, something confirmed in nightclubs every weekend.

The US team studied 183 dancers in Jamaica. Each person danced along to the same song on the same spot, in front of the same film crew for one minute.

Videos of the 20 "best" and 20 "worst" dancers were selected, based on their body symmetry - measured by comparing certain points on the body, such as elbows, fingers and ears.

The motion-capture videos - which show movement but not facial appearance or body images - were then shown to 155 people.

Symmetrical dancers were rated more positively than non-symmetrical ones, especially by women.

The researchers suggest the greater emphasis placed on symmetry by women bore out the theory that women, who usually bear the majority of the childcare burden, are more choosy when selecting a mate.

They said it was not clear whether it was the degree of symmetry itself, or an associated characteristic such as co-ordination, or the abilities needed to perform a complicated dance move - or better rhythm, was the key.

Dr George Fieldman, a psychologist at Buckingham Chilterns University College who specialises in research into sexual attraction, said: "It's certainly true that people look for symmetry in a mate.

"If you are symmetrical, it means you have the genes that control that, and that nothing has happened to affect that from conception to adulthood.

"Someone who is symmetrical would be able to do things like run faster, so choosing someone symmetrical would mean someone would be able to defend better and get prey better."

 一直以来，人们认为能在舞池里大出风头的人更受异性的青睐，近日科学家们对这一现象做出了解释。

随着音乐节奏能够翩翩起舞的人似乎身体的平衡性也较好，而这正是人们寻找另一半的一个标准。

罗特格斯大学的研究人员们用摄像机将跳舞者的动作捕捉下来。研究表明，平衡性最好的舞者舞姿最美。

查尔斯·达尔文最早提出跳舞是求爱仪式中的一部分，这一点在每个周末的夜总会已经得到证实。

这个美国小组对牙买加的183个舞者进行了研究。所有人在相同的地点，面对相同的摄影工作人员，听着相同的音乐跳舞一分钟。

根据身体的平衡性好坏，研究人员从录像中分别挑选出了20个最好的和20个最差的舞者。身体平衡性的好坏是通过比较这些舞者身体某些部位的动作来衡量的，如胳膊肘、手指和耳朵。

之后，155个人观看了录像，而动作捕捉录像里只播放舞者的动作，没有脸部和身体的画面。

平衡性好的舞者比平衡性差的人得到的评价要高，尤其是女性更加青睐平衡性好的人。

研究者们认为女性对平衡性的看重恰恰证实了她们在选择配偶时要比男性慎重。女性通常承担了照顾小孩的大部分工作。

他们说，究竟是因为平衡性本身，还是与身体平衡相关的协调性，还是演绎复杂舞步的能力，或是良好的节奏感，现在还不得而知。

白金汉郡切尔登大学学院的心理学博士乔治·费尔德曼对性吸引力做了专门研究，他说：“人们在择偶时确实会把身体的平衡度作为一个标准。”

“如果身体的平衡性好，就意味着你有能控制身体平衡的基因，同时也说明你从一个胚胎开始到长大成人，这种平衡性没有被破坏过。”

“平衡性好的人跑得更快，所以一个平衡性好的配偶的防卫能力和攻击能力也会更强。”