Women at their peak fertility prefer the smell of men oozing with testosterone, a new study finds.
Ovulation
has been shown to impact a woman’s mating preferences. For instance,
women in the fertile phase of their menstrual cycle favor more masculine
traits, such as a deep voice or manly face, characteristics associated
with the hormone testosterone, studies have found. Other research
suggests fertile women are attracted to men with high levels of the
stress hormone cortisol, which may be involved in stronger immune
systems.
In the new study, researchers tested how women’s
sèxual scent preferences changed depending on men’s levels of
testosterone and cortisol. Male volunteers were given T-shirts to wear
for two consecutive nights, during which time they were prohibited from
using scented soaps or detergents; drinking or smoking; or eating
garlic, onion, green chiles, strong cheeses and other pungent foods.
Then,
female volunteers sniffed the men’s shirts and rated the pleasantness,
sèxiness and intensity of the smells (on scales from 1 to 10). The women
also completed a questionnaire about their stage in their menstrual
cycles and whether they were using hormonal contraception.
The researchers took saliva samples from the men to measure hormone levels of testosterone and cortisol.
