Taking the Pill — especially high-estrogen versions — causes subtle psychological side-effects, like bringing out a woman’s jealous side:
Working with Dutch psychologists, Stirling University’s Dr Craig Roberts asked 275 women a series of questions designed to gauge how much they trusted their partner.
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Comparing the brands used with the women’s answers revealed a clear link between the drug and envy.And the higher the dose of oestrogen in the contraceptive, the more likely a woman was to be jealous.
Progesterone, however, was not implicated in jealousy, suggesting that progesterone-only versions of the Pill play less havoc with women’s emotions.
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In a previous study, Dr Roberts found that the Pill may also alter a sense of smell.With research suggesting we use our noses to help sniff out a suitable partner, he fears the Pill could lead women to hook up with the wrong sorts.
Studies have also concluded that the Pill makes women broody and that its hormones suppress interest in masculine men – making boyish males seem more attractive.
If the theory is right, it could at least partly explain the shifting in tastes from macho 1950s and 1960s stars such as Kirk Douglas and Sean Connery to the more androgenous leading men of today, such as Johnny Depp and Zac Efron.
Most recently, a study claimed that taking the Pill makes certain areas of women’s brains bigger, including the ‘conversation hub’ and grey matter essential for memory and social skills.
(Hat tip to Aretae.)