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Effects of menstrual cycle phase on face preferences
Benedict C Jones1, Lisa M DeBruine, David I Perrett
1School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. ben.jones@abdn.ac.uk
Archives of Sexual Behavior
|January 15, 2008
Summary
Women's facial preferences for masculinity, health, and resemblance shift during the menstrual cycle. These changes may enhance offspring immunity or increase pregnancy success.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Human Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Facial preference studies often highlight universal agreement, but individual variations exist.
- Systematic variations in preferences, particularly related to the menstrual cycle, warrant further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence on how women's preferences for masculinity, apparent health, and self-resemblance in faces change across the menstrual cycle.
- To explore proximate mechanisms (hormonal changes) and potential functions (offspring immunity, pregnancy success) of these cyclic shifts.
Main Methods:
- This study is a review of existing research on menstrual cycle effects on facial preferences.
- Analysis of studies examining hormonal correlates and functional hypotheses.
Main Results:
- Women's preferences for masculinity, apparent health, and self-resemblance systematically vary with the menstrual cycle phase.
- Evidence suggests these shifts, particularly for health and self-resemblance, are linked to increasing the likelihood of successful pregnancy.
Conclusions:
- Cyclic shifts in facial preferences are influenced by hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle.
- The primary function of these shifts appears to be optimizing conditions for successful pregnancy, though the role in enhancing offspring immunity is less clear for masculinity preferences.
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