Photo: Anna Shvets

Do you look prettier on your period?

Rather than facial symmetry changing, they suggest, women could appear more attractive at certain times of their cycle because of changes in their skin tone. "The changes in attractiveness judgements found in some of the previous studies might also be a by-product of changes in hormonal levels," the authors suggest.

sciencealert.com - A New Study Just Found Female 'Period Face' Is Not a Thing

At what age marriage is perfect for girl?

Marriage Age For Women – Is Love Among Adults Really Age Bound? As per the current scenario, society considers 21-30 years as the ideal marriage...

Last updated Mar 19, 2019

What's the best number of kids to have?

Two children. Research suggests that having two children is still most people's idea of the 'ideal' family size. Dec 4, 2017

Last updated Mar 31, 2020

Do you really know who the “One” is? Your true Soulmate?

Promotion

Can you tell just by looking where a woman's at in her reproductive cycle? For other primate species, such as the red-bottomed baboon, it's pretty easy to see. For humans, the changes are more subtle. But there are some scientists out there who claim it's possible to tell the stage of a woman's cycle simply by measuring the shape of her face - leading to the idea of a distinctive 'ovulation face' or even a 'period face'. Now, a new study has contradicted this idea. Back in the 1990s, several small studies showed that on the day of ovulation, the symmetry of a woman's soft tissue, such as her breast size, ear size and digit length were subtly shifted by hormones to make them more attractive to men. Now, however, a more thorough replication of this research has found no such fluctuations in facial shape during a woman's menstrual cycle. "Our results suggest that the previously found increased facial attractiveness of women in the most fertile phase of the menstrual cycle is not driven by changes in facial shape," the authors write, "but might instead stem from other changes in facial appearance, such as a more attractive skin tone; and underline the importance of replication of studies with new methods." Using a larger sample size and more detailed hormonal tests than previous studies, the new research set out to test whether reported changes in a woman's attractiveness at different points in their menstrual cycle might be linked to the shape of their face. As ovulation approaches, studies have shown the female body goes through a bunch of changes. Voices, for instance, can rise and body odour can become more attractive. But while there is some evidence that women's faces are more attractive to both men and women near ovulation, these results are flimsier and their conclusions have recently come under contention. In 2019, for instance, researchers improved upon older methods and found no effects of symmetry and femininity on attractiveness.

This year's research is yet another follow-up with an equally skeptical take.

Testing 75 healthy women with regular cycles, the authors measured various components of facial appearance - symmetry, sex-typical features and attractiveness - at three different stages in the menstrual cycle. Unlike previous research, ovulation was determined not by an arbitrary length of time after menstruation, but from peaks in crucial hormones such as oestradiol and luteinising hormone. This direct measurement along with the much larger sample size sets the study apart from many previous methods. "[T]hese results do not support reports of symmetry fluctuations in facial images and other body measurements across the menstrual cycle," the authors conclude. In the new paper, the researchers admit they do not know why previous studies turned up such different results, only that we may have landed on the wrong explanation. Rather than facial symmetry changing, they suggest, women could appear more attractive at certain times of their cycle because of changes in their skin tone. "The changes in attractiveness judgements found in some of the previous studies might also be a by-product of changes in hormonal levels," the authors suggest. And that, they say, is exactly why we need to replicate studies like this with novel methods and novel samples - so we don't go assuming something's true when it very well might be false.

The study was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Is 14 and 16 ok?

It says that a minor can legally consent to sexual contact or penetration if: he or she is a 14-year-old, 15-year-old, or 16-year-old, the other,...

Last updated Sep 2, 2021

How do you make him love only you?

The Action Steps for Making a Man Desire you and ONLY You stop ASKING him about whether he is attracted to other women, and stop FOCUSING on his...

Last updated May 30, 2021

Promotion

Who is the first child most likely to look like?

There's an old theory that says first-born babies were genetically predispositioned to look more like their father. It was believed this was so the father accepted the child was his and would provide and care for them.

kiindred.co - Do first-born babies actually look more like their fathers? - Kiindred

There’s an old theory that says first-born babies were genetically predispositioned to look more like their father. It was believed this was so the father accepted the child was his and would provide and care for them. There’s also another theory that says it was so he didn’t eat the baby… These theories obviously date way, way back, long before paternity tests existed (or cannibalism was frowned upon). But even today, all new parents can’t help but look at their baby and wonder, who does it look like? It’s often one of the first things people will comment on when they meet a little one for the first time.

But is there actually any truth to the theory at all?

A 1995 study from the University of California sought to prove the theory by matching photos of 1-year-old children with pictures of their father. The study asked 122 participants to match photos of children at 1-year, 10-years and 20-years with photos of both their mothers and fathers. In infants, just under 50% guessed correctly for the fathers, as opposed to around 37% for the mothers. The success rates decreased significantly in 10-year-olds and rose slightly again in 20-year-olds. A similar study in 2004 with a much larger sample size found that, in fact, most infants resemble both parents equally. In concluding the study, co-author and psychologist at the University of Padova in Italy Paola Bressan noted that to the best of her knowledge, “no study has either replicated or supported” the findings from the 1995 study that stated babies resemble their fathers.

But even though the science isn’t there to back up the theory, why do so many of us say it rings true, that firstborns do tend to look more like their father?

What is a pure soul?

From areligious and philosophical standpoint, a soul is considered the essence of a human being. It's something that gives us individuality and...

Last updated Mar 13, 2018

Does crush fall in love?

Conclusion. Crush is a brief and intense infatuation with someone while love is an intense feeling of deep love. While crush occurs instantly, love...

Last updated Sep 14, 2019

Promotion

At what age do girls get baby fever?

More surprisingly, the Brases found that for women, baby fever peaks in one's 20s and gradually declines with age. Meanwhile, young men are less...

Last updated May 21, 2022

Promotion

How do you humiliate a narcissist?

If you want to cut to a narcissist's emotional core, make them look bad in public. Try challenging their opinions, ignoring their commands, or...

Last updated Jan 21, 2020