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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Eliciting and Analyzing Male Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalization (USV) Songs

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Published on: May 9, 2017

Men's preference for the ovulating female is triggered by subtle face shape differences.

Cora Bobst¹, Janek S Lobmaier

¹Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Muesmattstrasse 45, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. cora.bobst@psy.unibe.ch

Hormones and Behavior

|August 1, 2012

Summary

Men show a preference for female faces exhibiting subtle shape cues associated with fertility. This preference is stronger when the fertile facial characteristics are more pronounced, indicating a subconscious attraction to ovulatory signals.

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Published on: September 3, 2020

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Psychology
Human Reproductive Behavior
Facial Morphology

Background:

Previous research suggests perceptible ovulation cues in humans.
Facial attractiveness and mate selection are influenced by hormonal cycles.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if subtle facial shape changes signal fertility.
To determine men's preferences for fertile versus non-fertile female facial prototypes.

Main Methods:

Created fertile (late follicular) and non-fertile (luteal) facial prototypes from photographs.
Shape-transformed 20 female faces towards these prototypes at 50% and 100% intensities.
Assessed male participants' preferences for attractiveness, care, flirtatiousness, and dating potential.

Main Results:

A significant preference for the fertile (follicular) facial shape was observed across all tasks.
Preference for the follicular face was stronger with 100% transformation compared to 50% transformation.
Subtle facial shape variations were sufficient to elicit preferences linked to fertility.

Conclusions:

Men exhibit preferences for women displaying subtle facial cues associated with their fertile cycle phase.
These findings support the role of subconscious signaling in human mate choice.
Facial morphology changes subtly influence perceptions of attractiveness and reproductive potential.