Women’s shopping cravings as well as the time and effort devoted to cosmetic treatments and clothes selection depend on the phase of the monthly cycle, Canadian scientists report in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.
Researchers found that during the fertile phase of the 28-day cycle, which falls between days 8 and 15, women exhibited more appearance-care behaviors. The study participants then spent a lot of time makeup and spent more money on new clothes and beauty services.
On the other hand, in the leutan phase (infertile), between days 16 and 28, women were more likely to shop for groceries and consumed more high-calorie products.
Scientists emphasize that such behavior has an evolutionary basis.
In our ancestral times, during fertile days, women spent more time in mating and mating behavior, because at that point there was the best chance of conceiving a child.
Nowadays, these natural aspirations have become visible in increased efforts to obtain an attractive appearance.
The increased urge to eat during the infertile phase of the cycle also stems from the past when women, unconsciously knowing that the chances of getting pregnant had decreased, spent their time searching for food.
Researchers believe that the results of their study will help to educate women about the mechanism governing their shopping whims, and thus they will be able to resist momentary desires.
Women are unaware of how hormonal fluctuations affect their consumer behavior. The results of our study help determine when women are most likely to succumb to menstrual cravings for high-calorie food or beauty products, says lead researcher Gad Saad.
(CARDBOARD)
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