Re: [tips] Humans go into heat after all, strip club study finds

[Kathy Morgan]

I think what this study is _really_ saying is that like other animals, human females are most attractive to males (probably via pheromones, but this has not been verified as yet to the best of my knowledge) when they are maximally likely to conceive.  This "fact" has been documented in several other similar kinds of studies (one that comes to mind had men rate the scent of t-shirts worn by women not on oral contraceptives at different points during their cycle--the t-shirts worn on or near the date of ovulation were most favored). Here are some studies to whet your whistles (no pun on clubbing intended!;-)) --Kathy Morgan Wheaton College Norton, MA  02766 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Title: Female body odour is a potential cue to ovulation Author(s): Singh D, Bronstad PM Source: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 268 (1469): 797-801 APR 22 2001 Document Type: Article Language: English Cited References: 25      Times Cited: 23        Abstract: Human body odours have been reported to influence female mate choice. Women prefer the odours of immunocompatible men and, during their fertile period, judge the body odours of men with symmetrical bodies-which is indicative of genetic quality-as sexy and pleasant. The reproductive success of men largely depends on mating with fertile women, hut it is not known whether men can detect a woman's Fertile period. We asked women who had regular menstrual cycles and who were not using hormonal contraceptives to M ear a T-shirt for three consecutive nights during their late follicular (ovulatory) phase and another T-shirt during the luteal (non-ovulatory) phase of their menstrual cycle. male raters judged the odours of T-shirts worn during the follicular phase as more pleasant and sex) than odours from T-shirts worn during the luteal phase. The odour differences between the follicular and luteal phases did not dissipate quickly over rime as male raters M ere able to detect and judge follicular phase body odours as more pleasant and sexy than the odours from the luteal phase even after the T-shirts were kept at room temperature for orle week. These findings suggest that ovulation may not be concealed and that men could use ovulation-linked odours in their mate selection. Title: Conditional _expression_ of women's desires and men's mate guarding across the ovulatory cycle Author(s): Haselton MG, Gangestad SW Source: HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR 49 (4): 509-518 APR 2006 Document Type: Article Language: English Cited References: 58      Times Cited: 11        Abstract: Thirty-eight normally cycling women provided daily reports of sexual interests and feelings for 35 days. Near ovulation, both pair-bonded and single women reported feeling more physically attractive and having greater interest in attending social gatherings where they might meet men. Pair-bonded women who were near ovulation reported greater extra-pair flirtation and greater mate guarding by their primary partner. As predicted, however, these effects were exhibited primarily by women who perceived their partners to be low on hypothesized good genes indicators (low in sexual attractiveness relative to investment attractiveness). Ovulation-contingent increases in partner mate guarding were also moderated by female physical attractiveness; midcycle increases in mate guarding were experienced primarily by less attractive women, whereas more attractive women experienced relatively high levels of mate guarding throughout their cycle. These findings demonstrate ovulation-contingent shifts in desires and behaviors that are sensitive to varying fitness payoffs, and they provide support for the good genes hypothesis of human female extra-pair mating. The daily assessment method provides an important supplement to existing studies using scheduled laboratory visits as the purpose of the study (examining cycle-related variation) is not known by participants. Title: Changes in women's sexual interests and their partners' mate-retention tactics across the menstrual cycle: evidence for shifting conflicts of interest Author(s): Gangestad SW, Thornhill R, Garver CE Source: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 269 (1494): 975-982 MAY 7 2002 Document Type: Article Language: English Cited References: 45      Times Cited: 42        Abstract: Because ancestral women could have obtained genetic benefits through extra-pair sex only near ovulation, but paid costs of extra-pair sex throughout the cycle, one might expect selection to have shaped female interest in partners, other than primary partners, to be greater near ovulation than during the luteal phase. Because men would have paid heavier costs if their partners had extra-pair sex near ovulation, one might also expect selection to have shaped males' efforts to track their primary partners' whereabouts to be increased near ovulation, relative to the luteal phase. Women filled out questionnaires about their sexual interests and their partners' mate-retention tactics twice: once within 5 days before a lutenizing hormone surge and once during the luteal phase. Results showed that: (i) women reported greater sexual interest in, and fantasy about, non-primary partners near ovulation than during the luteal phase; (ii) women did not report significantly greater sexual interest in, and fantasy about, primary partners near ovulation; (iii) women reported that their primary partners were both more attentive and more proprietary near ovulation. Title: Human body odour, symmetry and attractiveness Author(s): Rikowski A, Grammer K Source: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 266 (1422): 869-874 MAY 7 1999 Document Type: Article Language: English Cited References: 30      Times Cited: 70        Abstract: Several studies have found body and facial symmetry as well as attractiveness to be human mate choice criteria. These characteristics are presumed to signal developmental stability Human body odour has been shown to influence female mate choice depending on the immune system, but the question of whether smell could signal general mate quality, as do other cues; was not addressed in previous studies. We compared ratings of body odour, attractiveness, and measurements of facial and body asymmetry of 16 male and 19 female subjects. Subjects wore a T-shirt for three consecutive nights under controlled conditions. Opposite-sex raters judged the odour of the T-shirts and another group evaluated portraits of the subjects for attractiveness. We measured seven bilateral traits of the subject's body to assess body asymmetry. Facial asymmetry was examined by distance measurements of portrait photographs. The results showed a significant positive correlation between facial attractiveness and sexiness of body odour for female subjects. We found positive relationships between body odour and attractiveness and negative ones between smell and body asymmetry for males only if female odour raters were in the most fertile phase of their menstrual cycle. The outcomes are discussed in the light of different male and female reproductive strategies. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])