Randomised trial, 2014
Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women can regulate their emotions?
Yes. Women had more trouble controlling sadness and other emotions during their period. They had to work harder but were less successful.
What they did
Researchers studied 21 women with low neuroticism and 15 women with high neuroticism. Three times during one menstrual cycle (mid-late luteal phase, menstrual phase, and late follicular phase), they watched a sad film and tried to regulate their emotions. Researchers measured how hard they tried and how successful they were.
What they found
During the menstrual phase, women reported trying harder to control their emotions, but their sadness levels were the same across all three cycle phases. The physical measure of emotion regulation was smaller during menstruation than during the mid-late luteal phase. Neuroticism did not affect how well women regulated emotions.
What it means for you
Women expend more mental effort controlling emotions during their period, but this extra effort is less successful. This could affect daily life. The study was small and only tracked one cycle, so findings need confirmation in larger studies.
21
women with low neuroticism
15
women with high neuroticism
3
cycle phases tested
About the study
- Original title
- Effects of menstrual cycle and neuroticism on females' emotion regulation
- Authors
- Wu M, Zhou R, Huang Y
- Journal
- International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 21
- What was tested
- Emotion regulation training during viewing a sad film
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2014.10.003
Topics
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