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Women have more desire for variety when ovulating, study shows

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Women have a greater desire for variety in partners when they’re ovulating, research has shown -- but that's not all. A new study has found that during ovulation, women seek diversity outside the bedroom, too.

When it comes to everything from lipstick to chocolate bars, it appears that women are more open to trying new products when they’re most fertile, according to a study published in the April issue of Journal of Consumer Research.

“Just like a fisherman casting a wide net, ovulating women seek to cast a wide net into the dating pool and expand the number of potential suitors they have to choose from,” says Kristina Durante, lead investigator and assistant professor of marketing at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s College of Business. “This desire for variety in men at ovulation triggers what’s called a ‘variety seeking mindset’ that carries over into the desire for variety in products.”

Working with Ashley Rae Arsena, Durante looked at women’s choices throughout their menstrual cycle in several different product categories, including lipstick, high heels, nail polish, yogurt, and candy bars. The researchers recruited 553 female participants between the ages of 18 and 40 years who were not pregnant or taking hormonal contraceptives.

The study, called Playing the Field: The Effect of Fertility on Women's Desire for Variety, provides some of the first evidence that choice-making behaviour in personal relationships may carry over to that same behaviour in the marketplace.

The researchers found that the increase in women’s desire for variety in consumer choice at high fertility was particularly strong for women in relationships.

However, loyalty to a romantic partner reduced the desire for product variety, suggesting that loyalty in romantic relationships can translate to brand loyalty. A feeling of stability in a relationship also reduced the desire for diversity.

“From candy bars to cosmetics, ovulating women chose many different options—not just the same product or brand again and again,” Durante says. “However, when we had women imagine themselves in a loving relationship with a desirable partner, or when we had married women put on their wedding rings after taking them off, they no longer desired variety near ovulation.

“When security in the primary relationship was high, the effect of fertility on desire for variety was weaker,” she adds. “This is consistent with previous research showing that people who feel like their relationships are more secure prefer less choice and variety, and that women with strong attachment bonds exhibit increased sexual intimacy motivations toward their partner at high fertility.”

The study’s findings could be used by marketing companies to attract new customers.

“Our results suggest that women’s brand loyalty may shift at high fertility,” Durante says. “For about a week every month, normally cycling women—over a billion consumers [in the U.S.] —may be especially likely to respond to appeals by competing brands to switch….Female consumers might choose to try new products and experiences depending on when during the month they make the decision.”

Marketers could take this information and translate it into ads that coincide with high fertility. For instance, women who use fertility apps may find themselves being presented with various ads during ovulation, much in the same way that advertisements show up on people’s Facebook pages that relate to recent Google searches they’ve done, Durante says.

Durante emphasizes that the research doesn’t imply that women become sexually receptive to multiple partners near ovulation. In fact, women become much more discriminating when it comes to choice of a sexual partner when fertile. The study notes, however, that they typically desire more mating options to compare, contrast, and evaluate (or “sample” in the form of a date or conversation) to enhance the probability of finding the best sexual partner available—that is, a choice of the most optimal sex partner.

“One way for ovulating women to expand their mating pool and increase their options is to be open to variety,” she says.