The new research contradicts the widespread idea that the hormonal pill affects women’s attraction to men with more masculine facial features.
A new paper published in Evolution and Human Behavior has cast serious doubt on a long-held theory about the Pill’s effect on women’s physical preferences in men — the idea that women’s attraction to more typically masculine faces is changed with the use of hormonal contraceptives.
The investigation, led by Coren Apicellaa researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, found no evidence that the menstrual cycle or oral contraceptives significantly influence women’s facial preferences.
The double-blind clinical trial included 340 heterosexual women aged 18 to 35 who were randomly assigned to take a combined oral contraceptive or a placebo identical appearance for three months. Participants evaluated pairs of digitally altered male faces that differed in masculinity or symmetry at the beginning and end of the study.
Hormonal tests confirmed that the use of contraceptives effectively reduced the main reproductive hormones, but these biological changes did not alter the participants’ preferences, says .
“We looked at the issue in every possible way and we didn’t find anything” said Apicella. “Preferences for masculinity and symmetry just don’t seem to change with hormones in the way people claim.”
The research also tracked facial preferences among women in different phases of the menstrual cycle — follicular, ovulatory and luteal — using hormonal levels to check the status of each participant. Once again, no significant differences emerged. Of 132 statistical tests, only two reached traditional significance levels, a rate consistent with chance.
For decades, studies have proposed that women’s attraction to certain male characteristics varies with fertility, supporting the “double mating strategy”, which consists of the idea that women may prefer genetically strong and masculine partners during fertile phases, while favoring stable and protective characteristics at other times.
However, many of these previous studies have relied on small sample sizes, self-reported cycle data, and unrecorded analysis plans, which can inflate false positives.
Apicella and his co-authors acknowledge that their findings apply specifically to facial features. Hormonal influences on other aspects of attraction, such as body odor or sexual motivation, continue to be possible.
Still, the study’s main message is clear: If hormones affect who women find attractive, the effect is probably much smaller than previously believed.
