1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the Reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff Mom Never told 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:17,439 Speaker 1: you forrmhou stuff works dot Com. Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: the podcast. This is Molly and I'm Kristen and Kristin Day. 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: We're going to start with a topic that really caught 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:24,639 Speaker 1: my eye. It was something that got reported in a 7 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: bunch of papers. It's a good little blurb kind of story. 8 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: It's very eye catching, and the story was about the 9 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: discovery of something called the Marilyn Monroe hormone. Interesting. Interesting, 10 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: It's interesting for so many reasons. It's interesting to us 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: because it's about hormones. I love hormone. It's interesting to 12 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: the entire world because it's about Marilyn Monroe, ultimate sex icon. Right, 13 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: So something's gotta be juicy if they're linking Marilyn Monroe 14 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: and hormones, right, right, Molly, Um. This study has to 15 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: do with a hormone, a female hormone called estra dial 16 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: And this isn't a new hormone. Scientists have known that 17 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: it's been around for a long time. It's in women 18 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: and also in in female animals as well, and it's 19 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,320 Speaker 1: the most important form of estrogen found in the body. Right, 20 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: estradial is responsible for things like the growth of the 21 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: female uterus, fallopian teops, and vagina. It promotes breast development 22 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 1: and the growth of the outer genitals, and it plays 23 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 1: a role in distributing body fat and women. So that 24 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: gets to um. The first thing we know about estradiale 25 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,119 Speaker 1: so that it might be responsible for marily Monro's famous 26 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: our glass shape. Yeah, exactly. Higher levels of estra dial 27 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 1: and women are are linked to more curvy, the curvier, 28 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: more feminine type of a body that we would would 29 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: think of tiny waist, tiny waist, big big brists, and 30 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 1: childbearing hips. Right. But it's also an interesting thing. Is 31 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: that something you may not know about marily Monro is 32 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: her face is symmetrical. Um. Studies have found that symmetry 33 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: in our in our face and bodies is more attractive 34 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: to the opposite sex. The more symmetrical we are, the 35 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: more the more attractive we look, because I think it's 36 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: a sign of better health. Right, So estra dial also 37 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: plays a role in this symmetry. But the real reason 38 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: that people are calling it the Marri Monroe hormone and 39 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: making it so juicy is this behavioral correlation. They found 40 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 1: with it right. Researchers from the University of Texas in 41 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: Austin UH did a study that found that young women 42 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 1: who produced naturally high levels of estra dial are more 43 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: prone to manhop if you will, to cheat, yes, to 44 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: trade up for a better model. UH. They think that 45 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: this is linked to UH the evolutionary cost of having 46 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: a child. These women realize that, you know, they're gonna 47 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: need a good mate to be around when they have 48 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: a kid, and so they're more apt to look for 49 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 1: better and better mates. So they made this connection by 50 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: swabbing the inside of the student's cheek at Texas and 51 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: they asked all the students to write how attractive they 52 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: thought they were. So, first of all, if you had 53 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: very high levels of estra dial, then you thought, you know, 54 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: you thought you were really beautiful. I mean, it's good 55 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: to have a good self image. So I don't know 56 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: if I really I'm going to buy this part of 57 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: the test. But then they would ask the mysterious of 58 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: questions like you know, are you likely to flirt when 59 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: you have a boyfriend or you likely to kiss another 60 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:15,399 Speaker 1: guy if you have a boyfriend, And when they had 61 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: these higher levels of estra dial, they were much more 62 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: likely to do so, yeah, they were most more likely 63 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,239 Speaker 1: to cheat. But the interesting thing is, well, while these 64 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: while the women with the higher levels of estra dial 65 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 1: might be more willing to say, carry on a serious affair, 66 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: they weren't more likely to have a series of one 67 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: night stands. Right, So, there were a lot of troubling 68 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: words and stories that came out about the mailman or hormone, 69 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: about sort of you know, slutty girls, um loose women, 70 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: And that's not what the studies about, right, Well, it's 71 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: not about just this this man hopping from one person 72 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: to another. It's it's more about these women who aren't 73 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: necessarily satisfied with long term partners, like Marilyn Monroe has 74 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: been used as an example because she had a series 75 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: of three to four or year relationships with a sending 76 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: social status. When she first started out her movie career, 77 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: she was married to this, uh, this not so successful guy. 78 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: Then she moved on to Joe di maggio, and then 79 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: she moved on to Arthur Miller, and then possibly had 80 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: an affair with one or both of the Kennedy brothers. 81 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 1: So she kept trading up. Is what these scientists are saying, 82 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: meaning that the reason she had her affairs was just 83 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: an evolutionary search for the best possible mate um. And 84 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: it's interesting that the estra dial levels in a woman's 85 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:35,039 Speaker 1: body will will fluctuate across our obulatory cycle, corresponding to 86 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 1: when we're the most fertile and interested in sex. Right, 87 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: And that's why I find the study kind of troubling Christmas, 88 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,599 Speaker 1: because estra dial is something that's president all of us naturally, 89 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,040 Speaker 1: we need it to be females essentially, and other research 90 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 1: has shown that, you know, we become more interested in 91 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: the other sex when we're very fertile, like you were saying, 92 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 1: So really, it might just be a hormone that kicks 93 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: in when our body is ready to have a baby. Sure, 94 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: because there are plenty of curvy, our glass girls out 95 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: there who probably consider themselves very attractive and other men 96 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: consider them very attractive, who aren't going to cheat. They're 97 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 1: not necessarily going to just ditch their men for the 98 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: next like CEO or whoever comes their way. Right, it's 99 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: very sort of a sexist study because it's just saying, 100 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 1: you know, but it's all the woman's choice, and there's 101 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,479 Speaker 1: a lot of the comments around this article said, you know, 102 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: it takes two to tango for one, So if this 103 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 1: hormone just makes women more naturally attractive, then they probably 104 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: have more opportunities to cheat. But like you said, there's 105 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:33,359 Speaker 1: just this main women who don't cheat, and they're just 106 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: not captured by the study, right only to that point. 107 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 1: The example modern day example of Marilyn Monroe that's been 108 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: brought up in a lot of these articles is Angelia Jolie. 109 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: But as you uh brought up when we were talking 110 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: about this before we record this podcast, Angelina was single 111 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: when when she met Old Brad on the set of Mr. 112 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: And Mrs. Whatever it was. Smith, you can tell that 113 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: I watched that feature film. Um, but Brad was the 114 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 1: one who was married. He was actually to the cheater 115 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: in the situation, right, So it's very troubling to me 116 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: that they actually compared, uh, Angelina in this article someone 117 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: who probably has high levels of estra dial because they're 118 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: saying she doesn't really need Brad Pitt, but she wants 119 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: Brad Pitt as some sort of evolutionary trade off for 120 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: having all these children. I gotta say, it just seems 121 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: like kind of a simple excuse for those if you 122 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: will women who other women don't like to do well, 123 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: she must have high levels of estra dial a little hussy. Yeah, 124 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 1: so I think Kristina are giving the big thumbs down 125 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 1: to the study, no matter how interesting it is to 126 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: think of that. You know, maybe we can just blame 127 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: cheating on hormone. Yeah, because every woman has it. I mean, 128 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,279 Speaker 1: it's it's the most present form of estrogen in our bodies. 129 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: Someone just exactly. Um. But I do think going back 130 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:48,600 Speaker 1: to the symmetry that we were talking about, I think 131 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: that that's that's a more compelling argument to make that 132 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: estra dial does cause more symmetry, and more symmetry might 133 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: just make you naturally more attractive. And there you go. 134 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: Take it, relieve, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're 135 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: going to be predisposed to cheat on your man, hopefully 136 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: hopefully so. If you want to know more about hormones 137 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: after this daily dose of hormone love, then go to 138 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. And if you want to 139 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: send Christin and me an email, email us at mom 140 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: stuff at how stuff works dot com for moralness and 141 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Because it how stuff works dot 142 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: com brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 143 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: It's ready, Are you