--- title: Does the menstrual cycle affect how women without PMS pay attention to emotional faces? description: No, women without PMS show the same level of attention to emotional faces throughout their menstrual cycle. This suggests emotional changes during the cycle m url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-and-exogenous-attention-toward-emotional-expressions-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle affect how women without PMS pay attention to emotional faces? Case-control study, 2022 # Does the menstrual cycle affect how women without PMS pay attention to emotional faces? No, women without PMS show the same level of attention to emotional faces throughout their menstrual cycle. This suggests emotional changes during the cycle may be specific to people who have PMS. Moderate study design 55 women without PMS (selected from 790 original volunteers using strict criteria) ## What they did 55 women without PMS (selected from 790 volunteers using strict screening criteria) were shown happy, angry, and neutral faces while doing a visual task. Their reaction times, errors, and brain electrical activity were recorded during both the luteal phase and the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. Daily premenstrual symptoms were also monitored. ## What they found Statistical analysis found no significant difference in how women without PMS paid attention to emotional faces between the luteal and follicular phases. Their reaction times, errors, and brain activity patterns remained the same regardless of menstrual phase. ## What it means for you In women without PMS, the menstrual cycle does not affect emotional processing or attention to emotions. This supports the idea that emotional changes during the cycle may be specific to PMS and not a normal part of menstruation. The study used careful methodology but the final sample was small and heavily filtered from a larger group. 55 Women without PMS who participated 790 Women originally screened 2 Menstrual phases tested ## About the study Original title Menstrual cycle and exogenous attention toward emotional expressions Authors Álvarez F, Fernández-Folgueiras U, Méndez-Bértolo C et al. Journal Hormones and behavior Year 2022 Study design Case-control study Participants 55 What was tested Visual task with emotional faces while brain activity was recorded Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105259](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105259) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2023 Are PMS symptoms linked to genetic factors for psychiatric disorders? Survey study, 2020 What symptoms best predict whether PMDD will seriously affect daily life? Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? Review, 2013 What treatments work best for PMDD? Randomised trial, 1998 Does cognitive therapy help women with PMS? Survey study, 2026 How does PMS affect test anxiety in nursing students? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗