Does Taking the Pill Alter Partner Preferences?
Research on hormones and evolutionary mating preferences has recently explored this question. It is an important one, given that millions of women use hormonal contraception. A growing body of literature aims to answer this question, with the tentative answer being "Yes!" One proposed mechanism of action is that the oral contraceptive pill has the potential to minimize changes in mate preference that occur mid-cycle. This proposition is supported by a particular strategy called dual sexuality, which entails engaging in sexual activity while a woman is the most fertile (to maximize genetic benefits) and also during a woman's infertile phase (to obtain non-genetic material benefits). This strategy is seen in various animal species where females must weigh the costs and benefits of receiving good genetic makeup with a new partner against the risk of losing resources from the original partner.
Mate preference can change across different time points of a woman's cycle. Specifically, women prefer non-genetic material benefits (e.g., paternal investment) when they are less fertile, but a mate's good genes when they are more fertile. This strategy has been evolutionarily advantageous. Research suggests that factors may mediate mate preference according to a woman's cycle, with one being the oral contraceptive pill. A change in hormones produced by regular use of the pill can lead to changes in mate preferences in both males and females. This alteration in mate selection can have long-term implications, including changing future reproductive outcomes.
Moreover, research has demonstrated that the majority of women prefer the following male characteristics during more fertile phases (ovulation in particular):
- Masculine face
- Symmetrical face
- Dominance
- Competitiveness
During mid-cycle, women are more motivated to seek sexual activity and are more likely to seek it elsewhere if their partner can't meet this need. This may be counterintuitive to what is currently known in evolutionary research, where human couples tend to have long-term relationships. However, extra-pair coupling may occur if a new partner is deemed to possess superior genetic qualities. This poses risks such as reduced paternal care and other non-genetic benefits. Mate selection can depend on the woman's attractiveness, with men rating women as more attractive during the fertile phase.
Consumption of the pill minimizes increases in estrogen and progesterone and prevents ovulation. Research suggests that these changes in a woman's cycle may influence mate preferences, including favouring less symmetrical and less masculine faces and genetically similar men. Women who use the pill are also less likely to have fluctuations in long- or short-term relationship preferences across the cycle. By extension, women who use the pill may have different long-term outcomes in terms of mate choice and marital satisfaction, with potential impacts on the overall health of their offspring.
The introduction or cessation of the pill might alter pre-existing long-term relationships, leading to shifts in a woman's attractiveness to her current partner. Although this is just one possible explanation, with studies often relying on self-report and small sample sizes, this growing research is undoubtedly cause for discussion. In terms of future research directions, whether changes in a woman's attractiveness and partner-seeking behaviours seen around ovulation are evolutionarily advantageous or just consequences of hormone changes during the cycle must be clarified. The potential influence of personality traits and demographic characteristics between pill users and nonusers should also be examined, as well as the length of time a woman has been taking oral contraceptives. Ethical concerns surrounding the responsibility of drug companies conducting clinical trials and whether they are adequately investigating the long-term behavioural and psychological side effects of oral contraceptives should also be addressed.
