--- title: Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women recognize emotions on people's faces? description: Yes. Women in the low-hormone early follicular phase recognize angry, sad, and fearful faces better than women in other menstrual phases or men. Higher estrog url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effects-of-sex-hormonal-levels-and-phases-of-the-menstrual-cycle-in-the-2009/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women recognize emotions on people's faces? Lab study, 2009 # Does the menstrual cycle affect how well women recognize emotions on people's faces? Yes. Women in the low-hormone early follicular phase recognize angry, sad, and fearful faces better than women in other menstrual phases or men. Higher estrogen levels are linked to lower accuracy recognizing angry faces. Early or limited evidence 40 people: 11 women early follicular, 9 ovulatory, 10 luteal, 10 men ## What they did Forty people were tested on recognizing emotions in faces - 11 women in the early follicular (low-hormone) phase, 9 women in the ovulatory phase, 10 women in the luteal (high-hormone) phase, and 10 men. Blood tests measured estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Accuracy of emotion recognition was recorded for each emotion. ## What they found Women in early follicular phase were most accurate at recognizing angry faces compared to all other groups. These women also recognized sadness better than women in the luteal phase. For fearful faces, women in early follicular phase recognized them more accurately than men, and women in the ovulatory phase also showed better accuracy than men. Higher estrogen levels were linked to lower accuracy in recognizing angry faces. ## What it means for you Hormones may affect how well women recognize negative emotions in faces across their cycle, especially anger, sadness, and fear. This may help explain why women have different mood and anxiety patterns at different times in their cycle. The main limitation is this tests one specific skill (recognizing faces in a lab) and not full emotional health or PMS symptoms. 40 total participants 11 women in early follicular phase 10 men in comparison group ## About the study Original title Effects of sex hormonal levels and phases of the menstrual cycle in the processing of emotional faces Authors Guapo VG, Graeff FG, Zani AC et al. Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology Year 2009 Study design Lab study Participants 40 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.02.007](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.02.007) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/) 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 Randomised trial, 2025 Does escitalopram improve attention and reduce impulsivity in women with premenstrual irritability and anger? Cohort study, 2022 What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated? Randomised trial, 2021 Does blocking progesterone receptors help women with PMDD control anger and aggression? Survey study, 2017 Does painful menstruation affect adolescent girls' mood, emotions, sleep, and thinking? Case-control study, 2012 Do women with PMDD have working memory problems linked to concentration and irritability? Survey study, 2025 Can a plant-based supplement reduce PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗