1. According to a study published on April 25, researchers found that estrogen increased undergraduate women’s sexual desire, while progesterone decreased it. Testosterone had very little impact either way. However, only 37 women participated in the full study.
2. A study from early April which only had a sample size of 18 found that heterosexual women on the birth control pill were more likely to be attracted to effeminate male faces. The young women were tested once off the pill and once when they were on the pill. Before taking birth control, the women reported being attracted to faces with more traditionally “masculine”.
3. In October 2012, CNN published a story reporting on a study which claimed that ovulating women were more likely to vote for a liberal candidate because they felt “sexier.”
4. A September 2011 study claimed that sex hormones could help determine men and women’s career preferences later on. The researchers studied young people with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a genetic condition caused by being overexposed to the male sex hormone androgen in-utero, and their siblings who didn’t have CAH. They found that women with CAH were more interested in “things,” while women without CAH were more interested in people — a.k.a. girly hormones make you want to work with people later on in life and become teachers while masculine hormones make you want to be a scientist.
5. So if you’re on the pill, you like feminine men, but your hormones can also make you want to make out with a “bad boy”? According to a May 2012 study, your menstrual cycle is totally making you like that guy cruising around on his motorcycle. Researchers found that during ovulation, women pick “sexy” men over “reliable” men. (Unclear what makes someone reliable and what makes someone sexy.)
I had called bullshit to number 3 on this list when it first came out myself, so I am glad the story was pulled. What is sad is, there are so many non-ground-breaking-and-highly-result-oriented research studies, all concluding the same thing - we women are slaves to our bodily functions and are incapable of rational thought.
If these studies were true, I guess I have high amounts of CAH - I’m in no way possibly a sociopath or just anti-social. I guess I would be changing lovers weekly because while ovulating, I would want to be abused (even though I am supposedly feeling my sexiest and strongest), and other days I would genuinely be looking for a husband.
Sigh. Maybe researchers in Women Psychology need something better to concentrate on other than our hormones bring our bosses. We have heard that several times, and I call bullshit to it, even the concept of PMS is ridiculous. It is just physical pain that puts us women in a bad mood, not the hormonal changes. How about if any of the results of the above findings were influenced by external factors, such as family and social circles, and the fact that media glorifies bad boys as sexy?!
What needs attention is why 25% of American women visiting a doctor come out with anti-depressants. Could it be because doctors do not know how to deal with them so only prescribe drugs to get them to go away? Is it because they sincerely believe women to be more prone to depression? Or just gullible enough to believe they really are depressed? Is it because they read these studies and think they are helpless and want medication to alter their hormones? Now that would be a worthwhile study.
