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The researchers wanted to find out two things:
While some animals have overt physical ways of letting their mates know they are fertile, human beings are more subtle. The study: Led by Craig Roberts, the research team selected about 50 women between the ages of 19 and 33 and took two photographs of each subject. The first photo showed the woman when she was fertile, about eight to 14 days after the first day of her last menstruation. The second photo was taken 14 days later. Then 125 women and 125 men were asked to look at both photos of each woman and choose the one in which she was most attractive. The results: The picture showing a fertile woman was chosen by 51 percent to 59 percent of each group, a statistically significant result, Roberts told Nature News. Here's the most interesting finding: Women viewing the photographs appeared to be more sensitive than men to the fertility effect. What is it about a woman's face that reveals she is fertile? Roberts speculates it's the color and condition of the skin. Previous studies have shown that skin tone becomes lighter during ovulation. "But there may be more factors; we have to look into that more," he told Nature News. The idea that women are sensitive to other women's cycles is not new. It hearkens back to the cavewoman days, allowing females to assess their biggest competitor when vying for males--even if they aren't fully conscious they are doing this. Research conducted by Ian Penton-Voak, a psychologist at Stirling University in the United Kingdom, showed that women prefer masculine-looking men when they are ovulating, but other times of the month, they seek out men with softer features, which are associated with more social and caring behavior. | |||||||||||||||||
A woman's face is most beautiful and alluring once a month when she is at the peak of her fertility, Nature News Service reports of a new study from the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom.
