--- title: Does progesterone affect how women pay attention to social information? description: Higher progesterone levels, which occur in the luteal phase of the cycle, made women pay more attention to social information and process it more accurately. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/high-progesterone-levels-facilitate-women-s-social-information-processing-by-2020/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does progesterone affect how women pay attention to social information? Lab study, 2020 # Does progesterone affect how women pay attention to social information? Higher progesterone levels, which occur in the luteal phase of the cycle, made women pay more attention to social information and process it more accurately. However, this heightened sensitivity might contribute to mood problems in some women. Moderate study design 26 healthy women who naturally cycle ## What they did Twenty-six healthy women were tested three times during their cycle: during menstruation, in the follicular phase (low progesterone), and in the luteal phase (high progesterone). They completed tasks measuring how quickly they identified faces and directed their attention. ## What they found Higher progesterone levels were linked to faster reactions to sad faces, suggesting women paid more attention to this social signal. During the luteal phase, women had increased reaction times and increased accuracy on an attention test, showing they allocated more attention to targets using a more careful strategy. ## What it means for you Progesterone may help women notice social signals, which could be useful for detecting threats or others' needs. If this system becomes overactivated, it might contribute to mood disturbances and could be involved in how premenstrual dysphoric disorder develops. The study was small with naturally cycling women, so findings may not apply to women with PMDD or those using hormonal birth control. 26 women tested 3 test sessions per woman across the cycle ## About the study Original title High progesterone levels facilitate women's social information processing by optimizing attention allocation Authors Wang J, Chen A Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology Year 2020 Study design Lab study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104882](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104882) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[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 Systematic review, 2026 Can digital tools help diagnose PMDD? Systematic review, 2025 How do cognition and behavior change across the menstrual cycle in people with PMDD? Survey study, 2020 What symptoms best predict whether PMDD will seriously affect daily life? Survey study, 2018 Does the menstrual cycle affect emotions and thinking ability? Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? Systematic review, 2014 Do estrogen and progesterone change how the brain processes emotions and decisions? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗