Study, 1987
Do women's TV preferences change during their menstrual cycle?
Yes. Women in the premenstrual and menstrual phases preferred comedy more than women in the middle of their cycle. However, how much they actually enjoyed the comedy did not change across the cycle.
What they did
Women in different phases of the menstrual cycle were given the choice to select comedy, drama, or game-show programs. They also rated how much they enjoyed cartoons and watched TV excerpts.
What they found
Women in the premenstrual and menstrual phases chose comedy more often than women midway through their cycle. However, their actual enjoyment of humor itself did not vary across the cycle.
What it means for you
Women may actively prefer comedy during their period and the days before, possibly to manage difficult moods at those times, but this does not mean they actually enjoy humor more. The study measured TV choices, not mood or other PMS symptoms.
About the study
- Original title
- Women's Comedy Preferences During the Menstrual Cycle
- Authors
- Jeanne M. Meadowcroft, Dolf Zillmann
- Journal
- Communication Research
- Year
- 1987
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Watching and rating TV programs and cartoons
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1177/009365087014002004