Debunking period face: Face shapes stay the same no matter the time of the month

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Peer-reviewed: This work was reviewed and scrutinised by relevant independent experts.

Experimental study: At least one thing in the experiment was changed to see if it had an impact on the subjects (often people or animals) – eg: changing the amount of time mice spend on an exercise wheel to find out what impact it has on weight loss.

People: This is a study based on research using people.

International researchers have debunked the idea that a woman's face shape changes during menstruation, showing that there is no such thing as a menstrual mug after all.  Previous research had shown changes in face shape over a women's menstrual cycle and suggested it may explain increased male attraction at peak fertility. The researchers replicated the previous experiment but with a more robust methodology, and did not find any significant changes in facial shape over the menstrual cycle, suggesting that the increase in facial attractiveness may be down to other cues such as skin colouration. 

Journal/conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Research: Paper

Organisation/s: Yale University, USA

Funder: This work was funded by the Polish National Science Center (grant no. 2014/12/S/NZ8/00722) and the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission (grant no. PL/2018/42/SR) to U.M.M., and a European Research Council grant (grant no. 647910 KINSHIP) to I.H.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

Menstrual cycles - Stability of women’s facial shape throughout the menstrual cycle
In this study, we tested previously found fluctuations in facial shape throughout the menstrual cycle. With methods more robust than those formerly used (larger sample size and detailed hormonal assessments determining the timing of the ovulation) we did not find significant changes in either of the three facial measurements conducted: symmetry, averageness and sexual dimorphism. Our results 1) suggest that the previously found increased facial attractiveness of women in the most fertile phase of the menstrual cycle is not driven by changes in facial shape, but might instead stem from other changes in facial appearance, such as a more attractive skin tone, 2) underline the importance of replication of studies with new methods

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