title: Changes in salivary estradiol predict changes in women's preferences for vocal masculinity.
abstract: Although many studies have reported that women's preferences for masculine physical characteristics in men change systematically during the menstrual cycle, the hormonal mechanisms underpinning these changes are currently poorly understood. Previous studies investigating the relationships between measured hormone levels and women's masculinity preferences tested only judgments of men's facial attractiveness. Results of these studies suggested that preferences for masculine characteristics in men's faces were related to either women's estradiol or testosterone levels. To investigate the hormonal correlates of within-woman variation in masculinity preferences further, here we measured 62 women's salivary estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone levels and their preferences for masculine characteristics in men's voices in five weekly test sessions. Multilevel modeling of these data showed that changes in salivary estradiol were the best predictor of changes in women's preferences for vocal masculinity. These results complement other recent research implicating estradiol in women's mate preferences, attention to courtship signals, sexual motivation, and sexual strategies, and are the first to link women's voice preferences directly to measured hormone levels.
authors: Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: pisanska@mcmaster.ca.
authors: Katarzyna
authors: K
authors: Pisanski
authors: Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors: Amanda C
authors: AC
authors: Hahn
authors: Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors: Claire I
authors: CI
authors: Fisher
authors: Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors: Lisa M
authors: LM
authors: DeBruine
authors: Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors: David R
authors: DR
authors: Feinberg
authors: Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors: Benedict C
authors: BC
authors: Jones
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057228:Masculinity; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D012747:Sexual Partners; D014831:Voice / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol
keywords: Attraction; Estrogen; Mate choice; Mate preferences; Progesterone; Testosterone; Voice