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Menstrual cycle alters face preference

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  • I. S. Penton-Voak

    (School of Psychology, University of St Andrews)

  • D. I. Perrett

    (School of Psychology, University of St Andrews)

  • D. L. Castles

    (Hasegawa Laboratory, University of Tokyo
    School of Life Sciences, Roehampton Institute London, Whitelands College)

  • T. Kobayashi

    (Hasegawa Laboratory, University of Tokyo)

  • D. M. Burt

    (School of Psychology, University of St Andrews)

  • L. K. Murray

    (School of Psychology, University of St Andrews)

  • R. Minamisawa

    (Hasegawa Laboratory, University of Tokyo)

Abstract

Women prefer slightly feminized male facial shapes1. Such faces (Fig. 1a) are given positive personality attributions1 that might correlate with actual behaviour2. In contrast, masculine features seem to signal immunological competence3. Heritable benefits can be realized only if conception follows copulation, so women might be more attentive to phenotypic markers indicating immunological competence during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle when conception is most likely4,5. Consistent with this hypothesis is the observation that women's preference for the odour of men with low fluctuating asymmetry (a correlate of testosterone-facilitated trait size and developmental stability) increases with the probability of conception across the menstrual cycle5.Symmetrical men report more extra-pair copulation partners6, and extra-pair copulation rates peak in midcycle7. Here we show that female preference for secondary sexual traits in male face shapes varies with the probability of conception across the menstrual cycle. Figure 1 Cyclic shifts in the degree of femininity preferred in male faces. a, Face shapes that are 50% feminized (left) and 50% masculinized (right). Top: constructed1 from 26 males, mean age 19.7 years; 37 females, 18.7 years. Centre: 21 males, 21.0 years; 40 females, 21.0 years. Bottom: 18 males, 19.8 years; 38 females, 20.8 years. b, Mean feminization preferred in Japanese and Caucasian composites by Japanese subjects (n =39) in high- and low-conception-risk phases. c, Mean femininity preferred across faces for short- and long-term conditions (experiment 2) in high-risk and low-risk phases.

Suggested Citation

  • I. S. Penton-Voak & D. I. Perrett & D. L. Castles & T. Kobayashi & D. M. Burt & L. K. Murray & R. Minamisawa, 1999. "Menstrual cycle alters face preference," Nature, Nature, vol. 399(6738), pages 741-742, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:399:y:1999:i:6738:d:10.1038_21557
    DOI: 10.1038/21557
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jin-Ying Zhuang & Sen Zhang & Jing Xu & Die Hu, 2014. "Discriminating Males and Unpredictable Females: Males Differentiate Self-Similar Facial Cues More than Females in the Judgment of Opposite-Sex Attractiveness," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-9, March.
    2. Durante, Kristina M. & Griskevicius, Vladas & Ulu, Sevincgul (Sev), 2020. "The effect of fertility on loss aversion," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 599-607.
    3. Erika Limoncin & Caterina Solano & Giacomo Ciocca & Daniele Mollaioli & Elena Colonnello & Andrea Sansone & Filippo Maria Nimbi & Chiara Simonelli & Renata Tambelli & Emmanuele Angelo Jannini, 2020. "Can Physical and/or Sexual Abuse Play a Role in the Female Choice of a Partner? A Cross-Sectional, Correlational Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-13, September.
    4. Buser, Thomas, 2012. "Digit ratios, the menstrual cycle and social preferences," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 457-470.
    5. Stanton, Angela A., 2008. "Neuroeconomics: A Critique of ‘Neuroeconomics: A Critical Reconsideration’," MPRA Paper 13957, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Mar 2009.
    6. Jin-Ying Zhuang & Jia-Xi Wang, 2014. "Women Ornament Themselves for Intrasexual Competition near Ovulation, but for Intersexual Attraction in Luteal Phase," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(9), pages 1-10, September.
    7. Klaus Sinko & Ulrich S Tran & Arno Wutzl & Rudolf Seemann & Gabriele Millesi & Reinhold Jagsch, 2018. "Perception of aesthetics and personality traits in orthognathic surgery patients: A comparison of still and moving images," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(5), pages 1-12, May.
    8. Thomas Buser, 2011. "Hormones and Social Preferences," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 11-046/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    9. Thomas Buser, 2009. "The Impact of Female Sex Hormones on Competitiveness," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 09-082/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    10. Jan Havliček & Kelly D. Cobey & Louise Barrett & Kateřina Klapilová & S. Craig Roberts, 2015. "The spandrels of Santa Barbara? A new perspective on the peri-ovulation paradigm," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 26(5), pages 1249-1260.
    11. Wendy Iredale & Keli Jenner & Mark Van Vugt & Tammy Dempster, 2020. "Giving Guys Get the Girls: Men Appear More Desirable to the Opposite Sex When Displaying Costly Donations to the Homeless," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-15, August.
    12. Lynda G Boothroyd & Alan W Gray & Thomas N Headland & Ray T Uehara & David Waynforth & D Michael Burt & Nicholas Pound, 2017. "Male Facial Appearance and Offspring Mortality in Two Traditional Societies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, January.
    13. Paola Iannello & Daniela Villani & Gaia Bruschi, 2016. "A preliminary investigation about the relationship between well-being and fertility status in different menstrual cycle phases," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 15(2), pages 195-205, November.

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