The Buzz: The Pill and Mate Preference

i-31aea6dab060127c954dedc04349ade0-zac-efron.jpgWomen's taste in men varies naturally with their menstrual cycle--during the more fertile period, they are more drawn to a square jawline, heavy brow, facial symmetry, and other signs of masculinity. But a new study by a team of British biologists shows that women taking birth control are not subject to the same cyclical preferences; because the hormones in the birth controll pill essentially trick the body into believing it is pregnant, women taking the pill consistently favor men with less masculine features, who in terms of evolutionary history tend to make more loyal and supportive long-term partners. The researchers point out the risk of women who go off birth control no longer finding their partners attractive, but as Eric Michael Johnson of The Primate Diaries reminds his readers, "While the hormonal aspects of women's sexual choices are well demonstrated, as are the modifications that result while on birth control, the potential impact of these different choices remains an untested hypothesis."

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