Post-menopausal women less threatened

LONDON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Women of a certain age are friendlier to younger women and less likely to see them as competitors, a British study finds.

The researchers assembled a group of women in their 40s and 50s and asked them to look at photographs of women, The Telegraph reported. They found that post-menopausal women were more likely to praise the looks of younger women, while women who had not yet reached menopause criticized them.

Lisa DeBruine, one of the researchers involved in the study, said the hormonal changes at menopause appear to change how women see their social role.

"They go from needing to find a mate and competing with other females to wanting to become heads of the community," she said. "This change means that they will view the attractive women they once saw as rivals as friends. They will still want to nurture them of mother them but they won't see them as threats."

The study was published in Biology Letters, a journal published by the Royal Society.