Study, 2008
Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women can control their responses to attractive men?
During the early part of the menstrual cycle when pregnancy is possible, women's brains showed better control when viewing attractive male faces. This pattern did not appear with female faces.
What they did
Researchers used brain imaging to watch how women's brains work during a task where they respond or don't respond to pictures of attractive male and female faces. They looked at how brain activity changed across different phases of the menstrual cycle.
What they found
During the follicular phase, women's brains showed different patterns when processing male faces compared to female faces. Women had better control of their responses and better detection of mistakes when looking at male faces. These patterns did not appear with female faces. Individual differences in sexual desire and social risk-taking were related to these brain activation patterns.
What it means for you
The menstrual cycle and hormones may affect how well women can control their behavior, especially around attraction to men. This connects to evolutionary theory about how hormones shape behavior. The main limitation is that this measured brain activity, not actual behavior or symptoms.
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual cycle phase modulates cognitive control over male but not female stimuli
- Authors
- Roberts GM, Newell F, Simões-Franklin C et al.
- Journal
- Brain research
- Year
- 2008
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Observation of brain activation during different menstrual cycle phases
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2008.05.061