Hormones and brain activity: Kinsey Institute study sheds light on facial preferences

November 12, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Scientists have long known that women's preferences for masculine men change throughout their menstrual cycles. A new study from Indiana University's Kinsey Institute is the first to demonstrate differences in brain activity as women considered masculinized and feminized male faces and whether the person was a potential sexual partner.

The researchers identified regions of the brain that responded more strongly to masculine faces and demonstrated that differences between masculinized and feminized faces appeared strongest when the women were closer to ovulating.

The study, published in an online edition of the journal "Evolution and Human Behavior," sheds light on the link between women's hormone levels and their brain responses to masculinized versus feminized male faces, potentially offering insights into female mate preferences. The current study points towards enhancements of both sensory discrimination and risk processing around ovulation in response to masculine faces as possible mediators of women's mate preferences.

"One area of the brain in which we observed a difference in activation in response to masculinized versus feminized faces -- specifically during the follicular phase -- was the anterior cingulate cortex, which is a region involved in decision-making and the evaluation of potential reward and risk," said neuroscientist Heather Rupp, research fellow at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University. "Activation in this region has been previously reported to correlate with 'high risk' nonsocial choices, specifically monetary risk, so it is interesting that it is observed to be more active in response to masculinized male faces, who may be both riskier but more rewarding to women."

Previous studies have shown that women's sexual preference for facial characteristics vary depending on their menstrual phase. These fluctuating preferences are thought to reflect evolutionarily founded changes in women's reproductive priorities. Around the time of ovulation women prefer more masculinized faces -- faces with features that indicate high levels of testosterone. These facial cues predict high genetic quality in the male because only such males can afford the immune-compromising effects of testosterone. Testosterone may be costly for the males' mates as well because high testosterone levels also are associated with high rates of offspring abandonment.

Around the time of ovulation, a female's preference apparently shifts from avoiding negligent parenting to acquiring the best genes for her offspring. At other points during the cycle, women will prefer more feminized male faces, as they might signal a higher willingness of the males to invest in offspring.

Rupp and her team set out to explore the link between hormone levels and brain responses to masculinized versus feminized male faces. Pictures of 56 male faces were masculinized and feminized using standard computer-morphing software. Twelve heterosexual women, averaging about 25 years old, were tested during the follicular phase, which is closer to ovulation and higher fertility time, and the luteal phases of their menstrual cycles. Before each test session their blood was collected for hormone analyses. While brain activity was measured using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, women viewed the masculinized and feminized male faces, indicating their interest in the man depicted as a potential sexual partner.

Researchers found differences in brain regions related to face perception, decision making and reward processing that responded more strongly to masculinized than feminized faces, suggesting that "neural activation in response to face stimuli is sensitive to facial masculinization, even in the absence of differences in subjective ratings." Differences between masculinized and feminized faces appeared strongest during the follicular phase, closer to ovulation.

Indiana University

---

---

	Infant holding biases and their relations to hemispheric specializations for perceiving facial emotions [An article from: Neuropsychologia] by J. Vauclair (Author), J. Donnot (Author) This digital document is a journal article from Neuropsychologia, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Description: Since Salk [Salk, L. (1960). The effects of the normal heartbeat sound on the behavior of the new-born infant: implications for mental health. World Mental Health 12, 168-175] reported a left-side preference for cradling an infant, several studies have attempted to elucidate the origin of this bias. Sex and handedness were the first variables tested but none of them is sufficient for explaining this bias. Manning and Chamberlain [Manning, J. T., & Chamberlain, A. T. (1991). Left-side cradling and brain...
	Commitment to relationships and preferences for femininity and apparent health in faces are strongest on days of the menstrual cycle when progesterone ... high [An article from: Hormones and Behavior] by B.C. Jones (Author), A.C. Little (Author), L. Boothroyd (Author), L DeBruine (Author) This digital document is a journal article from Hormones and Behavior, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Description: Previous studies of changes in women's behavior during the menstrual cycle have offered insight into the motivations underpinning women's preferences for social cues associated with possible direct benefits (e.g., investment, low risk of infection) and indirect benefits (e.g., offspring viability). Here we sought to extend this work by testing for systematic variation in women's preferences for male and female faces and in their attitudes to their romantic relationship during the menstrual cycle. In Study 1, we...
	Advanced Surgical Facial Rejuvenation: Art and Clinical Practice by Anthony Erian (Editor), Melvin A. Shiffman (Editor) This richly illustrated book covers all aspects of aesthetic facial surgery, from anatomy to the variety of procedures employed in facial surgery, including ancillary techniques such as chemical peel, laser, and facial fillers. Both newer techniques and variations on older approaches are carefully presented and discussed. In addition, preoperative care is analyzed, and detailed attention is devoted to problems related to HIV infection, anesthesia, complications, and psychological aspects. The contributors are all internationally acclaimed experts in the field. The book will be an invaluable source of information for residents and fellows, practicing aesthetic surgeons, and surgeons in a variety of related fields.
	Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty by Nancy Etcoff (Author) In this provocative, witty, and thoroughly researched inquiry into what we find beautiful and why, Nancy Etcoff skewers one of our culture's most enduring myths, that the pursuit of beauty is a learned behavior. Etcoff, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and a practicing psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, skewers the enduring myth that the pursuit of beauty is a learned behavior. Etcoff puts forth that beauty is neither a cultural construction, an invention of the fashion industry, nor a backlash against feminism, but instead is in our biology. It's an essential and ineradicable part of human nature that is revered and ferociously pursued in nearly every civilizatoin--and for good reason. Those features to which we are most attracted are often signals of...
	The Power and Paradox of Physical Attractiveness by Gordon L. Patzer (Author) The Power and Paradox of Physical Attractiveness is a scholarly look into physical attractiveness. It articulates the great importance placed on this dimension of a person's appearance. Analysis of the dynamics and consequences reveals a powerful, pervasive, and frequently unrecognized or denied physical attractiveness phenomenon. This phenomenon transcends time, geography, and culture, regardless of demographics and socioeconomics of individuals and populations. With penetrating vision, Dr. Patzer provides evidence that despite professed ideals, people do judge others by their looks. Physical attractiveness is a more powerful determinant of a person's fortune and misfortune in life than people admit. No matter the words, thoughts, and ideals proclaimed by people, these same people...
	Why Him? Why Her?: How to Find and Keep Lasting Love by Helen Fisher (Author) The national bestseller that shows you how a better understanding of who you are will help you find and keep the love you wantHelen Fisher can often tell, almost instantly, the hidden strengths and weaknesses in a relationship that are likely to keep a couple together or pull them apart. The words they choose, their facial structure and body language, even their doodles and where they live give strong clues to their personality type. After three decades of studying romantic relationships, Fisher has discovered that your dominant personality type guides not only who you are but who you love. Why Him? Why Her? provides a new way to understand relationships, whether you’re searching for one or eager to strengthen the one you have. Beginning with a scientifically developed questionnaire to...
	Master Techniques in Blepharoplasty and Periorbital Rejuvenation by Guy G. Massry MD (Editor), Mark R. Murphy MD (Editor), Babak Azizzadeh MD (Editor) Master Techniques in Blepharoplasty and Eyelid Reconstruction is a comprehensive, multi-specialty textbook and surgical atlas on blepharoplasty and eyelid reconstruction, presenting multiple competing and complementary techniques by the leading experts in the field of plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, and oculoplastic surgery. Only the most pioneering and time-tested surgical procedures are presented in step-by-step, illustrative detail. All areas of eyelid surgery are covered in a balanced and systematic approach. An accompanying on-line surgical atlas shows digitally videotaped procedures by the leading authors, extremely useful to any surgeon interested in blepharoplasty. Master Techniques in Blepharoplasty and Eyelid Reconstruction is the definitive textbook and atlas for any...
	Evaluation of observer preference for putative facial (profile) ethetic changes with extraction vs. non-extraction orthdontic treatment of borderline class I malocclusion by Azzam Aljundi (Author)
	Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology Series: Botulinum Toxin with DVD, 2e by Alastair Carruthers MA BM BCh FRCP(LON) FRCPC (Author), Jean Carruthers MD FRCSC (Author) This title in the PROCEDURES IN COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY SERIES presents up-to-the-minute, practical guidance on botulinum toxin injection techniques shaping today's practice. Succinctly written and lavishly illustrated, it focuses on procedural how-to's and offers step-by-step advice on proper techniques, pitfalls, and tricks of the trade-so you can refine and hone your skills...and expand your surgical repertoire. You'll find current, to-the-point guidance on the cosmetic use of the toxin - edited by pioneers in the field, Drs. Jean and Alastair Carruthers. Implement the newest procedures into your practice immediately and confidently-with the outstanding guidance you'll find in this volume of the PROCEDURES IN COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY SERIES.Covers the hottest topics-including botox...