sarahness

New research from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management reveals that ovulating women unconsciously buy sexier clothes not to impress men, but to outdo rival women during the handful of days each month when they are ovulating.

The research provides evidence of how, why, and when consumer behavior is influenced by hormonal factors.

“We found that, when ovulating, women chose sexier fashion products when thinking about other attractive, local but not distant women,” says Kristina Durante, a post-doctoral fellow at the Carlson School.

Durante’s research found that ovulating women’s choice of dress is motivated by the other women in their environment. “In order to entice a desirable mate, a woman needs to assess the attractiveness of other women in her local environment to determine how eye-catching she needs to be to snare a good man,” Durante says.