--- title: Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women can regulate their emotions? description: Yes. Women had more trouble controlling sadness and other emotions during their period. They had to work harder but were less successful. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effects-of-menstrual-cycle-and-neuroticism-on-females-emotion-regulation-2014/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women can regulate their emotions? Randomised trial, 2014 # Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women can regulate their emotions? Yes. Women had more trouble controlling sadness and other emotions during their period. They had to work harder but were less successful. Early or limited evidence 36 women (21 with low neuroticism and 15 with high neuroticism) tracked during one menstrual cycle ## What they did Researchers studied 21 women with low neuroticism and 15 women with high neuroticism. Three times during one menstrual cycle (mid-late luteal phase, menstrual phase, and late follicular phase), they watched a sad film and tried to regulate their emotions. Researchers measured how hard they tried and how successful they were. ## What they found During the menstrual phase, women reported trying harder to control their emotions, but their sadness levels were the same across all three cycle phases. The physical measure of emotion regulation was smaller during menstruation than during the mid-late luteal phase. Neuroticism did not affect how well women regulated emotions. ## What it means for you Women expend more mental effort controlling emotions during their period, but this extra effort is less successful. This could affect daily life. The study was small and only tracked one cycle, so findings need confirmation in larger studies. 21 women with low neuroticism 15 women with high neuroticism 3 cycle phases tested ## About the study Original title Effects of menstrual cycle and neuroticism on females' emotion regulation Authors Wu M, Zhou R, Huang Y Journal International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology Year 2014 Study design Randomised trial Participants 21 What was tested Emotion regulation training during viewing a sad film Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2014.10.003](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2014.10.003) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/) 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 Case-control study, 2020 Does fatigue change across the menstrual cycle, especially in women with anxiety? Survey study, 2026 Do emotional regulation and resilience change during the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD? Study, 2020 Does how women control disgust change during the menstrual cycle? Study, 2026 How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains? Systematic review, 2026 Can digital tools help diagnose PMDD? Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗