by Gabrielle Lichterman on August 6, 2010
Ever go shopping for a new pair of jeans and ended up getting a revealing mini-skirt, plunging tank top, lacy lingerie or other sexy outfit instead? You may have been ovulating while thinking of a romantic rival, according to University of Minnesota researchers. In their just-released study, ovulating women who viewed photos of attractive women from their local area opted to buy sexier clothes and accessories than women who viewed photos of unnattractive women or women who lived far away. The reason? According to the researchers, when you’re ovulating (which occurs at the end of Week 2 of your cycle), you subconsciously try to look sexier to outdo women who you may have to directly compete with for attention from men during the most fertile time of the month.
[photo: Creole Collection]
by Gabrielle Lichterman on July 7, 2010
Feel that as the years go by, your libido is getting more intense? If so, you’re not alone. Women between the ages of 27-45 tend to have a heightened sex drive and engage in more exciting sexual activities, according to just-released research out of the University of Texas at Austin and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
In the study, the researchers split 827 women into three groups: high fertility (ages18-26), low fertility (ages 27-45) and menopausal (ages 46 and up). The respondents answered an online questionnaire about their sexual attitudes and behavior.
Of all three groups, the women between the ages of 27 and 45 (the low fertility group) were more likely to experience: [more…]
by Gabrielle Lichterman on June 22, 2010
You can leave your makeup at home during Week 2 of your cycle—high estrogen is triggering changes in your face that make you appear naturally more beautiful to both men and women, according to a study in the journal Biology Letters.
To test this, researchers showed male and female study participants pairs of photos of women in neutral, non-smiling poses without makeup—one photo was taken between Days 8 and 14 of the women’s cycles (when estrogen is high), the other photo was taken between Days 17 and 25 (when estrogen is lower and progesterone is high). None of the study participants were aware that the photos were taken at different phases of the women’ s cycles. Yet, when asked to rate the attractiveness of the women’s faces, most participants chose the photos taken during Days 8 and 14.
You can thank evolution for the hormonal make-over, the researchers say. As you approach ovulation at the end of Week 2, estrogen prompts subtle changes in your body that help you attract a mate.
[photo: Mercedes.. Life as I Pictured]
by Gabrielle Lichterman on June 22, 2010
Need to put together a bookshelf, remember where the Home Depot is located or read a map? You’ll excel at these and other tasks that require you to use spatial skills—the ability to picture objects or patterns, then move them around in your head—during Week 1 of your cycle, the week of your period, according to researchers from Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. In their study, women did best on mental rotation tests when they had their period and did worse during their mid-cycle when estrogen was high. Why? Testosterone is the hormone that enables the brain to think abstractly, yet rising estrogen dampens that ability. When estrogen is bottomed-out during Week 1, testosterone is allowed to work without being hampered by estrogen, the researchers explain.
[photo: Kai Hendry]
by Gabrielle Lichterman on June 20, 2010
Harvard research shows that testosterone dips as much as 20% once a man marries and has children. “It’s the body’s natural response to settling down since men no longer need that high level of testosterone they used to seek out a mate,” [more…]
by Gabrielle Lichterman on May 25, 2010
In a new study out of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, women who were given doses of testosterone rated pictures of faces as less trustworthy than when they were given a placebo, reports the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Though testosterone is widely known for boosting aggression, researcher Jack van Honk, Ph.D. explains that it’s a hormone that also prompts us to become more dominant and want to rise higher in our social rank. To that end, testosterone may make us more watchful and wary of others and better prepared to defend our resources and status.
So, what’s the takeaway? Since testosterone is highest during Week 2 of a woman’s cycle, you may notice yourself feeling more ambitious as well as a bit skeptical of others’ intentions.
by Gabrielle Lichterman on May 21, 2010
Listen to their voice! In a new study published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, male and female study volunteers who were given photographs of strangers and asked to leave scripted Skype messages for them made their voice deeper when leaving a message for those they found attractive.
Sure, it makes sense that men deepen their voice when trying to woo someone since it makes them sound more masculine. But, what’s most surprising about this study’s findings is that women also lower their voice when they find someone attractive. It was expected that women would raise their voice to sound more feminine. In fact, during Week 2 of your cycle around ovulation, peaking estrogen has you using more higher notes than during other times in your cycle.
So, why the anomaly? The researchers chalk it up to nature vs. nurture, and nurture wins! Turns out, we’re taught by pop culture that a woman with a husky, breathy, lower-pitched voice is sexy, for instance, Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie and, the huskiest of all, Kathleen Turner. As a result, we copy that behavior.
[photo: pedrosimoes7]
by Gabrielle Lichterman on May 17, 2010
The next time a female salesperson, casino host or reality show producer pats you on the back, you may want to remember the results of this new study: A gentle touch from a woman is all it takes to make you throw caution to the wind and take risks you normally wouldn’t, according to a new study published in the journal Psychological Science. [more…]
by Gabrielle Lichterman on May 11, 2010
Next time you’re anxious about a job interview, exam or other stressor, try calling your mom. A new study out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that simply hearing your mother’s voice triggers a profound soothing effect that zaps the stress hormone cortisol and raises your body’s level of the calming hormone oxytocin, making you feel instantly relaxed. In fact, in the study, girls who were stressed out by having to give a speech and answer math questions in front of a panel of strangers—a major stress-inducer for most people—experienced the same hormone changes whether their mother was physically comforting them in person or doing it remotely over the phone. Best of all, the stress-busting effect was long-lasting, sticking around hours after the task was over, the researchers found.
[photo: kevindooley]
by Gabrielle Lichterman on May 9, 2010
Have a high-pitched voice? Chances are, you prefer masculine men with deeper voices over guys who use mid-range or higher notes when they speak, say researchers from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In their recent study, women with the highest-pitched voices who listened to recordings of men saying “I really like you” or “I really don’t like you” were 20% more likely to believe the men with the deeper voices were probably attractive regardless of what they were saying than women with lower-pitched voices.
The link? Researchers point a finger squarely at your hormones. A high-pitched voice in women is an indicator of a high estrogen level and a deep-pitched voice in men is an indicator of a high testosterone level, which is a common romantic pairing since these high hormones are key indicators of fertility and health, raising the chances of having lots of offspring.
Voices are also a key indicator of personality, with high voices in women suggesting traditionally feminine traits—such as agreeableness, empathy and cooperation—and low voices in men suggesting traditionally masculine traits—such as a dominant personality and competetiveness (picture the stereotype of the cheerleader and the football player). Women and men with mid-range voices and, therefore, hormones (like me and my husband) meet somewhere in the middle personality-wise.
But, this doesn’t mean women like me aren’t affected by a throaty male voice. Fact is, at mid-cycle during ovulation when estrogen is highest, most women find deeper tones hard to resist, past research shows.
[photo: CarbonNYC]
