The female hormones: A biology lesson marketers should not miss!

Published on: September 6, 2022

While the way to a man’s heart may as well be through the stomach, the route is slightly different for women. And if your brand aims to make the most of the biological (and buy-ological) dissimilarities between the genders, this article will help you decipher why and how appealing to women is a multi-pronged approach, triggered by the female hormones.

Estrogen, the prime female hormone, performs two roles: a) high levels of estrogen are linked to strong needs for nesting and nurturing, deriving intense satisfaction from looking after the house and family members, and b) the hormone suppresses any testosterone women may generate. When estrogen is low, and testosterone reigns unchecked, women become competitive, develop mathematical and spatial skills, and are more susceptible to aggressive behavior – just like men.

Another female hormone, progesterone, drives parental urges and is released when a woman sees a baby – any baby, not just her own. When a woman sees any “releaser shape”, anything with short, plump arms and legs, a roly-poly torso, an oversized head and big, popping eyes (like that of a teddy bear and not like Pinocchio stuffed toy), progesterone gushes through her systems and the maternal instincts kick in. You can actually put your finger on the exact moment progesterone is released: it’s when all the ladies in the room go, “Awww, so cute!” in total unison!

Oxytocin, a female hormone that encourages a “feeling of partnership and drive to care for a child” is released in the system during labor and delivery, and additionally when women are distressed. Early studies revealed that adrenaline was the body’s first response to stress and the ‘fight or flight’ syndrome has its genesis in the hyperenergetic effect of this hormone. Latest research has highlighted that when women are stressed out, more oxytocin than adrenaline is released, urging a need for interpersonal interaction. And this is something we women knew without much research: Nothing can soothe you better than having a chat with your girlfriends when you’ve had a rough day. Scientists call this female response to stress the ‘tend and befriend’ syndrome; women just say, “I’ve just got to talk this through, alright?”

Additionally, there is also serotonin, a hormone that is inversely proportional to risk-taking behavior. Women comparatively have more serotonin than men and have more receptors for the hormone in their brain, which mellow down the urges to seek thrill and extravagant behavior probably stemming from testosterone. Men have not much luck (or no such impediment, some may say) and this explains why they are prone to boredom and their need to seek adventure and excitement. On the contrary, higher serotonin levels help women muffle the perfectly normal urge to throw themselves out of an airplane with nothing but a backpack and some ropes between them and death (must be that ‘stay alive as long as possible’ evolutionary force at work!) But then isn’t it funny that when it comes to women’s daily routines, everyone says “risk-averse” like it’s something wrong?

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