Changes in women's facial skin color over the ovulatory cycle are not detectable by the human visual system
Abstract
Human ovulation is not advertised, as it is in several primate species, by conspicuous sexual swellings. However, there is increasing evidence that the attractiveness of women's body odor, voice, and facial appearance peak during the fertile phase of their ovulatory cycle. Cycle effects on facial attractiveness may be underpinned by changes in facial skin color, but it is not clear if skin color varies cyclically in humans or if any changes are detectable. To test these questions we photographed women daily for at least one cycle. Changes in facial skin redness and luminance were then quantified by mapping the digital images to human long, medium, and shortwave visual receptors. We find cyclic variation in skin redness, but not luminance. Redness decreases rapidly after menstrual onset, increases in the days before ovulation, and remains high through the luteal phase. However, we also show that this variation is unlikely to be detectable by the human visual system. We conclude that changes in skin color are not responsible for the effects of the ovulatory cycle on women's attractiveness.
Citation
Burriss , R P , Troscianko , J , Lovell , P G , Fulford , A J C , Stevens , M , Quigley , R , Payne , J , Saxton , T K & Rowland , H M 2015 , ' Changes in women's facial skin color over the ovulatory cycle are not detectable by the human visual system ' , PLoS One , vol. 10 , no. 7 , e0130093 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130093
Publication
PLoS One
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1932-6203Type
Journal article
Description
RPB is supported by an Anniversary Research Fellowship at Northumbria University. MS and JT were supported by a David Philips Research Fellowship awarded to MS by the Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (BB/G022887/1). HMR was supported by a Junior Research Fellowship at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, and is supported by an Institute Research Fellowship at the Institute of Zoology.Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.