Survey study, 2013
Does stress before learning affect memory differently based on sex and menstrual cycle phase?
Yes. Without stress, women remembered more words than men, but when exposed to stress, men's performance improved to match women's. In the luteal phase, higher stress hormones were linked to worse memory.
What they did
119 young adults (32 men and 87 women) aged 18-25 were tested at different points in the menstrual cycle. Half took a stress test before a memory task, half didn't. Researchers measured stress hormone levels.
What they found
Without stress, all groups of women recalled more words than men. With stress, men's performance improved to match women's level. In women in the luteal phase, higher stress hormone levels were linked to worse memory performance.
What it means for you
Women's memory under stress depends on where they are in their cycle. This shows cycle phase affects how stress impacts thinking. Limitation: college students only, tested in a lab, some groups had small numbers.
119
Total participants tested
87
Women
32
Men
About the study
- Original title
- Acute pre-learning stress and declarative memory: impact of sex, cortisol response and menstrual cycle phase
- Authors
- Espin L, Almela M, Hidalgo V et al.
- Journal
- Hormones and behavior
- Year
- 2013
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 119
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.03.013
Topics
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