---
title: Does how well you recognize emotions change depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle?
description: Yes, slightly. Women in the follicular phase recognized emotions more accurately. Women in the luteal phase reacted faster to sad and angry emotions, linked t
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-of-menstrual-cycle-phase-with-the-core-components-of-empathy-2013/
---

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- Does how well you recognize emotions change depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle?

Survey study, 2013

# Does how well you recognize emotions change depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle?

Yes, slightly. Women in the follicular phase recognized emotions more accurately. Women in the luteal phase reacted faster to sad and angry emotions, linked to progesterone levels.

 Moderate study design

40 healthy women, 20 in follicular phase and 20 in luteal phase

## What they did

40 healthy women were tested at two points in their cycle: the follicular phase and the luteal phase. They did three tasks measuring empathy: recognizing emotions in faces, understanding others' perspectives, and reaction speed to emotions.

## What they found

Women in the follicular phase recognized emotions in faces more accurately. Women in the luteal phase reacted faster to sad and angry faces. Progesterone levels correlated with both emotion recognition and reaction speed in the luteal phase. Understanding others' perspectives did not change by cycle phase.

## What it means for you

Your cycle phase affects how quickly and accurately you respond emotionally to others, particularly recognizing and reacting to sad or angry emotions. This seems driven by progesterone. Limitation: small sample, only two cycle phases tested, lab-based measurements.

40

Women tested

20

In follicular phase

20

In luteal phase

## About the study

Original title Association of menstrual cycle phase with the core components of empathy Authors Derntl B, Hack RL, Kryspin-Exner I et al. Journal Hormones and behavior Year 2013 Study design Survey study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.10.009](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.10.009)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)

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