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Topics: Psychology, Science, Health, Sex and Relationships
Emily Brown
Topics: Psychology, Science, Health, Sex and Relationships
An evolutionary psychologist has explained why one simple but impactful lifestyle change could completely change whether or not women are attracted to their partners.
If you're well and truly settled with your other half, it's scary to think about the concept that changing one thing about your life might suddenly make you less attracted to them.
It would be like choosing to give up bread and suddenly hating your favorite TV show. Gutting.
But while most people could always go back to bread, the lifestyle change we're talking about here is a bit more meaningful.
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Psychologist Sarah E. Hill has offered insights into what can happen when women using a contraceptive pill decide to give it up - maybe to try and get pregnant, to try a different method of contraception, or to simply give their bodies a break from the hormone.
On her website, Hill cites research which shows how sexual desire and interest in good genetic qualities in men increase in heterosexual women during the monthly cycle at the same time their estrogen increases.
The research indicates that increased estrogen levels make men with symmetrical faces and indicators of a high level of testosterone - such as a deep voice - more attractive.
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However, use of the contraceptive pill keeps estrogen levels low, in turn leading to research which indicates that the birth control can affect who women are attracted to - think beer goggles, but when you're completely sober.
As well as women sharing their experiences of this online, one study published in 2013 used a sample of 55 women who were not on the pill, and asked them to manipulate photographs to create their ideal partner.
After the first session, half of the participants began using the contraceptive pill. The group then returned three months later to carry out the task again, after which researchers found that the women who'd started the pill created faces which were significantly less masculine than the first creations.
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Discussing these findings, Hill said: "The results of these studies suggest that the pill – by influencing who women are attracted to – may have important implications for women’s relationships."
"Given that pill-taking women don’t exhibit the preference for cues to testosterone are observed in naturally cycling women, there’s a chance that a partner chosen on the pill – when women prefer rounder, more feminine faces than what is observed in non-pill-takers – may not meet a woman’s masculinity standards once she goes off the pill." Hill continued.
Having spoken with women about their experiences giving up the pill, the psychologist went on to say that 'although many women are able to transition off of the pill without having any major relationship disruptions, this isn’t true for others'.
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She added: "The idea that your birth control pill might influence your choice of relationship partners in a way that that could mean trouble down the road might sound a little scary.
"But take heart in knowing that this doesn’t happen to all women. It’s also worth keeping in mind that relationships are always scary. The pill just adds a new wrinkle into the mix."