文档介绍：Does the contraceptive pill alter mate choice in humans? Alexandra Alvergne and Virpi Lummaa Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Shef?eld, Shef?eld, S10 2TN, UK Female and male mate choice preferences in humans both vary according to the menstrual cycle. Women prefer more masculine, symmetrical and ically unrelated men during pared with other phases of their cycle, and recent evidence suggests that men prefer ovulating women to others. Such monthly shifts in mate preference have been suggested to bring evolutionary bene?ts in terms of reproductive ess. New evidence is now emerging that taking the oral contraceptive pill might signi?cantly alter both female and male mate choice by removing the mid-cycle change in preferences. Here, we review support for such con- clusions and speculate on the consequences of pill- induced choice of otherwise less-preferred partners for relationship satisfaction, durability and, ultimately, reproductive es. Women’s dual sexuality In humans, female fertility increases gradually before ovulation and rapidly decreases thereafter. Conceiving is only possible during a brief ?6-day period ending on the day of ovulation (. oestrous phase; [1] ). However, women engage in and seek copulations throughout their cycles (. extended sexuality [2] ). This dual sexuality (conceptive and not conceptive) is suggested to have two distinct f