I was listening to AM radio and getting angry with Sen. Obama’s tax plan , thinking that I would run home and write about it but then there was an announcement of the upcoming segment. It was to be about the pill and how it changes the way a woman selects her partner. According to the announcement, the pill changes one’s taste in men and apparently causes women to be attracted to the wrong ones. Unfortunately I was only in the car for a minute and did not get to hear the report, but I figured this would be way more interesting to research and blog about than another ‘Barack-a-rant’ so I looked into it.
Basically scientists reported that they had asked 1570 young women on oral contraceptives and 1325 women who were not, to pick men, offering “healthy and less healthy male faces” for them to choose from. Researchers, from St Andrews and Stirling Universities, said the results indicate that female hormones (and those from the Pill) can have varying effects on how people interact.
They then make the leap from women on the pill picking the healthier looking men (a good thing I think) to saying that women on oral contraceptives picked macho men for life long companions, even going so far as to say that women use body odor to identify mates with different immune system genes from their own; an evolution evolved biological strategy designed to give offspring a broad range of immunity genes.
Seriously go read this load of hot air and know I am not making this up.
This struck me as interesting because it gives us another reason, and someone else to blame, for our poor choices. This can turn the pill into a morbid evil creature that causes bad choices and should be banned quicker then trans-fat. Imagine all the women that can sue orthotricycline companies or accuse Depo-Provera for their abuse.
They really had me at first but then I got to thinking about their process and logic. There seems to be way too many faults with this study for it to be taken as seriously as the implications would have otherwise.
I do not know were the funding for it came from but that is the least of my worries. If it were government funding it would seem innocuous enough, but would provide fodder for them to outlaw birth control or to make other pending laws, such as the one on the ballot in Colorado, seem less ridiculous.
Here, mvenus929 said that ‘correlation does not equal causation.’ That is so true in this case. This study does not address the fact that women who take the pill would choose more masculine men, or make different choices, then women who chose not to. Maybe they choose bad boys as well as take the pill so they do not have children with them, instead of the pill causing the choice.
As far as I can tell, the women off of the pill and those on are different people, which mean they just might be making different life choices. This study does not test if the pill is changing the woman; it only points out that yes, people are different.
Also, the faces shown were of the same men with different looks, so unless they were testing idiots the women might have chosen their answers with that apparent objective in mind.
One of the other flaws I find is that they do not take into account homosexuality, choices in life partner and the pill. It would seem that this hormone only causes bad choices in men; that does not make sense. If I understand this right and the pill makes women choose more masculine rough men; how far of a stretch would it be to say that the pill can probably cure lesbians? Or at least cure bisexual women from being attracted to softer qualities….not that they are in need of a cure but who knows what those people were thinking.
Overall this is a poorly constructed experiment with an interesting finding that has morphed into barf.
Anyway, always think about things like spin and bias before buying into even the smartest sounding info or the neatest new idea. We are responsible for our actions, our choices, and what we believe in. If I catch any of you buying into this bologna and using it as an excuse to be crazy I will type in all caps and wake the dead feminists to come eat your brains.
That last lines was great! I am on the pill for my cycles. People also have the common misconception that woman are on the pill so they don't get pregnant, but it helps with a wide variety of issues. I definately don't buy into this at all because my long term boyfriend of 3 years is a great guy. Sure he has issues, but who doesn't? Alot of men are a-holes and it doesn't take a pill to spot out the bad ones, I have seen people not on the pill do that on their own.lol.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I am voting for Lewis Black.
DrifterDani~
Those women that do that without the pill might just have high progesteron levels naturally. I can just see the next study stemming form this cracked skull Idea.
What I need is a smiley that flaps its tongue and turns its thumb up to a thumb down.
~T
A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins. ~Benjamin Franklin
The truly scary thing about this is that some idiot female will choose a jackass male and when he does something incredibly stupid, she'll remember this study and blame her piss poor decision in choosing him on the fact that she was taking birth control at thge time instead of on her complete lack of anything resembling sense.
Sometimes, I wonder how we've survived as long as we have. It truly defies explanation.
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Like writing? So do we!
~Fallon~
"If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams."- Pace
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I bet that women that ran over he husband three or twelve times awhile back was probably just coming to her senses after getting off the pill. What a defense she would have had if only she had waited a few more years.
~T
A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins. ~Benjamin Franklin
Last time I checked I am still attracted to the feminine women so I'm going to be the first to stand up and claim "Birth control did not cure my bisexuality!"
:idk:
...You Know You Wanna...
I haven't read the story (though it's flagged on my news feed for when I do get the chance to read through it), but I have to make one comment about the beginning of your blog.
From what I learned in immunology, that's actually true. People are attracted to others based on different MHC genes (which are really HLA complexes in humans.... I still don't understand why they call it something different in humans when it's the exact same thing), presumably because that increases genetic diversity, and makes the offspring more fit (because they can combat a wider range of pathogens). MHC products are found on every cell in the body, so it's entirely possible that someone's natural smell could be indicative of these genes.
I also read an article a while back that explained that two people can smell the same sweat stained swatch, and one person may find it sweet smelling, and the other may find it disgusting. This, again, could be related to the MHC gene products.
So that specific assertion is not a load of hot air. The fact that they linked it to the pill usage may be, but the entire idea is entirely plausible.
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
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I know that this is true about the olfactory's amazing sensing ability. I meant that the article went from looking at pictures to the sense of smell when it had nothing really to do with the study.
It seemed intresting and it might have a causative effect. Just the construction and lack of eveidence negates their effort. Yet somehow they tried to hard to make things click with out actually doing to much to test its truth.
~T
A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins. ~Benjamin Franklin
I have been taking Depo for years now. I can honestly say the reason I'm on it has nothing to do with men because I spent the money on it when I was single too. Instead, it is to level out the hormones so I have less "girly moments", as my best friend says. I don't cry for no reason around the time when my hormones would shift, I don't freak out about strange things because of the hormone changes, and I wouldn't change this for the world. I like feeling sane.
Though, I do have to say since going on the pill I've not fallen for just any jackhole out there that is willing to listen to my woes. Instead, I've chosen smarter because I'm not blinded by my own mental or physical stupidities.
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You can't ignore me, for I'll not lie down quietly.
http://insanitek.net
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The pill affects fish in rivers, some fish are changing “sex”!
http://www.ghostsofcitesoleil.com/