Attractive Caregiving: Women’s Preference for Men that Care for Children and the Role of Nurturance Motivation and Menstrual Cycle Phase

Abstract

AbstractAnother person’s caring abilities, in addition to physical features, may affect the observed attractiveness of that person. Using two newly developed instruments, we tested whether women (N = 360) judge men as more attractive when they are depicted in interactions with children (picture task) or accompanied by information on caring behavior (vignette task). Furthermore, we tested if such an effect is moderated by the following personal factors: women’s nurturance motivation, having (a desire to have) a child, women’s menstrual cycle phase, and use of oral contraceptives. In the picture task, women rate men as more attractive when they are depicted in interaction with a child, and this effect was enhanced by women who have high nurturance motivation and women who have (a desire to have) a child. Although the vignette task did not show a main effect of caring behavior, there was an effect of the menstrual cycle phase, demonstrating increased overall attractiveness ratings around the time of ovulation. This study confirms that perceived caring abilities in men can influence attractiveness evaluations, but that this effect varies depending on women’s own caring tendencies and desire for children, and that also the menstrual cycle phase can affect evaluations of the opposite sex. These findings add to the increasing literature that attempts to provide a more nuanced understanding of the forces that shape decisions that can form some of the most important relations in human lives.