Oral Contraceptives Affect Partner Choice - Research

2023 Author: Oswald Adamson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 20:18

The relationship between men and women depends on many reasons. It has recently been proven that taking oral contraceptives can subtly not only distort the picture of the world, but also influence the choice of a partner

Scientists have concluded that these medications have an effect on the recognition of complex emotional expressions, including contempt and pride. A study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that women taking oral contraceptives had an average of 10% less emotion recognition rate.

Questions immediately arise about the possible impact of this category of pills on the relationship in a couple. If oral contraceptives caused significant disturbances in the recognition of emotions in women, it is likely that men would notice these manifestations. However, even weak violations, hardly noticeable for our sliding gaze, as it turns out, play a role.

During the research, curious things emerged. While both groups of participants were equally good at recognizing simple emotions such as fear and joy, women taking oral contraceptives were less likely to correctly identify a person's emotions from facial expressions.

The effect persisted for both positive and negative expressions and regardless of the type of medication taken or the phase of the menstrual cycle in women who did not use contraceptives. Cyclic fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels are known to affect both emotions in women and activity in related areas of the brain. However, the exact mechanism of reactions caused by oral contraceptives remains to be studied.

Researchers have shown that oral contraceptives have an impact on partner choice

Women who took medication chose men with softer facial features, while the other group, who did not use oral contraceptives, looked more brutal.

Scientists have focused on the masculine facial features of a man because previous researchers have suggested that a more masculine appearance of a partner and a feminine appearance of a partner may be a genetic advantage for future offspring. In particular, masculine-looking men are more likely to be healthier and stronger than "gentle daffodils."

However, masculinity has a dark side. Macho's are known for preferring short affairs to long-term relationships and have less pleasant personality traits. Appearance reflects character

At the same time, those with masculine appearance often attract girls with dominant leadership traits that they can pass on to future offspring. Evolutionarily, they are more preferred by the fair sex.

Another essential component of the process has been revealed - among those taking oral contraceptives, the probability of conception due to the altered hormonal background is low, since it is closer to that observed in the state of pregnancy. During pregnancy, the cooperation and caring of the partner come to the fore, and women may give preference to partners with soft facial features.

Most likely, during the period of taking contraceptives, women become less attentive to manifestations of masculinity and they are indifferent to the type of partner. However, the opposite is not excluded: in life, it is not women who choose less masculine men, and courageous men are less likely to choose women who take oral contraceptives for long-term relationships. Perhaps this is due to the fact that women look most attractive precisely during the ovulation phase.

One thing is clear - on the choice and relationship in a couple, taking birth control pills, undoubtedly, has a significant impact

Sources:

• sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030645301300070X
• frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.01041/full