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.
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
Topics
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