Perception of male faces of different health status as a function of the menstrual cycle

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati ulogu bihevioralnog imunosnog sustava u percepciji karakteristika muških lica. Ispitana je veza između trenutnog zdravstvenog statusa muških lica, faze menstrualnog ciklusa u kojoj su se ta lica procjenjivala te procjena atraktivnosti, ugodnosti, prijetnje i odbojnosti prikazanih lica. U online eksperimentu sudjelovale su punoljetne žene s redovitim menstrualnim ciklusima koje ne koriste kontracepcijske tablete. Iste sudionice (N = 41) su u ranoj folikularnoj, kasnoj folikularnoj i srednjoj lutealnoj fazi menstrualnog ciklusa davale procjene za zdrave i bolesne verzije muških lica prikazane na fotografijama. Bolesne verzije lica dobivene su manipulacijom zdravih verzija lica, a manipuliralo se bojom kože, podočnjacima i položajem kutova usana. Rezultati su pokazali da su se bolesne verzije lica procjenjivale manje atraktivnima i manje ugodnima te više prijetećima i odbojnijima od zdravih verzija. To je u skladu s pretpostavkom o aktivaciji bihevioralnog imunosnog sustava kao odgovora na percepciju znakova potencijalne zaraze. No, nasuprot očekivanom, procjene zdravih i bolesnih verzija lica bile su podjednake u sve tri faze ciklusa, tj. nije došlo do povećanja osjetljivosti na znakove bolesti u fazama s povišenim razinama spolnih hormona. Time hipoteza o većoj osjetljivosti na znakove bolesti tijekom lutealne faze ciklusa, kada pod utjecajem progesterona dolazi do imunosupresije, nije potvrđena.The aim of this study was to examine the role of the behavioral immune system in the perception of the characteristics of male faces. The relationship between the current health status of male faces, the phase of the menstrual cycle in which these faces were evaluated and the assessment of the attractiveness, pleasantness, threat and repulsion of the presented faces was examined. Adult women with regular menstrual cycles who do not use contraceptive pills participated in the online experiment. The same participants (N = 41) in the early follicular, late follicular and mid-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle provided ratings for healthy and sick versions of male faces shown in photographs. The sick versions of the face were obtained by manipulating the healthy versions of the face whereby the manipulated features were the color of the skin, under-eye circles and the position of the corners of the lips. The results showed that the sick versions of the face were evaluated as less attractive and less pleasant and more threatening and repulsive than the healthy versions. This is consistent with the assumption of activation of the behavioral immune system in response to the perception of cues of possible infection. But, contrary to expectations, the evaluations of the healthy and sick versions of the face were similar in all three phases of the cycle, i.e., there was no increase in sensitivity to disease cues in phases with elevated levels of sex hormones. Hereby the hypothesis of greater sensitivity to disease cues during the luteal phase of the cycle, when immunosuppression occurs under the influence of progesterone, has not been confirmed