The contraceptive pill is taken by women not wanting to get pregnant so it's a tad ironic that going on 'the pill' can make a woman broody!
Researchers have discovered that women on the Pill find babies cuter than those of women not taking an oral contraceptive. It is thought that the sex hormones in the Pill make women more aware of the cute noses, big eyes and chubby cheeks! The increased levels of oestrogen and progesterone caused by the contraceptive increase a woman's natural desire to bond with children.
A similar study concluded that that the Pill puts women off masculine men and makes them more attracted to men like Johnny Depp with cute, boyish features. Previous research found that taking an oral contraceptive makes women find boyish men more attractive. This goes some of the way to explain the shift in tastes from macho film stars of old such as Sean Connery and Kirk Douglas to the more feminine and androgynous stars of today like Leonardo Di Caprio and Depp.
Scientists at the University of St Andrews came to their latest conclusions by comparing the reaction to a series of babies' faces in men, women and women on the Pill. They first showed more than 100 men and women of different ages two computer images of infants. In each case, one of the pictures was deemed to be slightly 'cuter'. Not too surprisingly, the women were better than the men at picking out the sweeter infantmost cute baby.
Amongst other things, the scientists compared the reactions of a group of women on the Pill with another group of women. Those on the Pill were found to be the best at 'detecting' cuteness, according to the study in the journal Psychological Science.
One of the researchers, Dr Sprengelmeyer said: 'Although caring for a baby involves an investment of time and resources, it is rewarding to be with cute babies.... They are rated as more friendly, cheerful and likeable and a female's willingness to adopt a baby and a mother's sensitivity toward the baby depend on [her perception of] its cuteness.'
Another explanation for women's broodiness when they are on the Pill is that they are more likely to be in a relationship and so more emotionallyready to become Mums.
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