1031: Sarah Hill | How Birth Control Rewires Women's Brains Part One

Evolutionary Cues

Sarah Hill explores how evolutionary cues influence attraction preferences and mate selection. She explains that both men and women find certain traits attractive due to their association with fertility and estrogen presence 1. This is not just a human phenomenon; similar patterns are observed in animals, like songbirds, where males with enhanced features attract more mates 2.

Our brain sees things in a way that are very much geared toward getting us to do things that historically would have helped to promote genetic replication.

--- Sarah Hill

These cues are often subconscious, guiding behavior in ways that historically promoted genetic success.

   

Stress & Relationships

The interplay between stress, hormones, and relationships is complex, as Sarah Hill explains. Men's testosterone levels fluctuate based on social and environmental factors, such as winning or losing, and these changes can influence relationship dynamics 3. Women, too, experience hormonal influences, which can affect their earnings in professions like dancing, where naturally cycling women earn more during high fertility periods 4.

Our sex hormones are part of what creates the experience of being who we are.

--- Sarah Hill

These hormonal shifts can significantly impact both personal and professional aspects of life.