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The association between discontinuing hormonal contraceptives and wives’ marital satisfaction depends on husbands’ facial attractiveness

  1. Andrea L. Meltzerb
  1. aDepartment of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306; and
  2. bDepartment of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275

  1. Edited by Steven J. C. Gaulin, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, and accepted by the Editorial Board October 16, 2014 (received for review August 1, 2014)

Significance

Hormonal contraceptives (HCs) are believed to suppress biological processes associated with women’s preferences for cues of partner genetic fitness, cues that may be summarized by men’s facial attractiveness. Two longitudinal studies of marriage demonstrate that wives who used HCs at relationship formation became less satisfied when they discontinued HCs if their husband had a relatively less attractive face, but more satisfied if their husband had a relatively more attractive face. Incongruency between HC use at relationship formation and current HC use was negatively associated with sexual satisfaction, regardless of husbands’ facial attractiveness. Practically, these findings suggest that discontinuing HCs may have critical unintended effects on women’s relationships. Theoretically, they indicate that evolved mating processes have implications for established relationships.

Abstract

How are hormonal contraceptives (HCs) related to marital well-being? Some work suggests HCs suppress biological processes associated with women’s preferences for partner qualities reflective of genetic fitness, qualities that may be summarized by facial attractiveness. Given that realizing such interpersonal preferences positively predicts relationship satisfaction, any changes in women’s preferences associated with changes in their HC use may interact with partner facial attractiveness to predict women’s relationship satisfaction. We tested this possibility using two longitudinal studies of 118 newlywed couples. Trained observers objectively rated husbands’ facial attractiveness in both studies. In study 1, wives reported their marital satisfaction every 6 mo for 4 y and then reported the history of their HC use for their relationship. In study 2, wives reported whether they were using HCs when they met their husbands and then their marital satisfaction and HC use every 4 mo for up to three waves. In both studies, and in an analysis that combined the data from both studies, wives who were using HCs when they formed their relationship with their husband were less satisfied with their marriage when they discontinued HCs if their husband had a relatively less attractive face, but more satisfied if their husband had a relatively more attractive face. Beginning HCs demonstrated no consistent associations with marital satisfaction. Incongruency between HC use at relationship formation and current HC use was negatively associated with sexual satisfaction, regardless of husbands’ facial attractiveness. These findings suggest that HC use may have unintended implications for women’s close relationships.

Footnotes

  • ↵1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: vmrussell1{at}gmail.com or mcnulty{at}psy.fsu.edu.

  • Author contributions: V.M.R. and J.K.M. conceptualized the idea; L.R.B. and A.L.M. helped conceptualize the idea; V.M.R. and J.K.M. designed research; V.M.R. and J.K.M. performed research; V.M.R., J.K.M., and L.R.B. analyzed data; and V.M.R., J.K.M., L.R.B., and A.L.M. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. S.J.C.G. is a guest editor invited by the Editorial Board.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1414784111/-/DCSupplemental.

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