--- title: Can short mindfulness or rumination exercises shift mood differently across the cycle in PMDD? description: Yes. Short mindfulness exercises boosted positive mood more in women with PMDD during the premenstrual (late luteal) phase than in women without PMDD, while s url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/induced-ruminative-and-mindful-self-focus-in-daily-life-across-the-menstrual-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Can short mindfulness or rumination exercises shift mood differently across the cycle in PMDD? Case-control study, 2024 # Can short mindfulness or rumination exercises shift mood differently across the cycle in PMDD? Yes. Short mindfulness exercises boosted positive mood more in women with PMDD during the premenstrual (late luteal) phase than in women without PMDD, while short rumination exercises worsened mood and awareness for everyone, regardless of cycle phase or PMDD status. Moderate study design 60 women with PMDD and 60 women without PMDD ## What they did 60 women with PMDD and 60 women without PMDD did brief, in-the-moment exercises of either ruminative (dwelling on problems) or mindful (present-moment) self-focus during everyday life, on two days in the follicular phase and two days in the late luteal phase. Researchers tracked momentary mood, rumination, present-moment awareness, and self-acceptance each time. ## What they found Compared with healthy controls, women with PMDD showed a stronger boost in positive mood after mindful self-focus specifically during the late luteal phase; there was no group difference during the follicular phase. Regardless of PMDD status or cycle phase, rumination exercises immediately increased negative mood and rumination and reduced present-moment awareness, while mindfulness exercises increased self-acceptance. ## What it means for you This points to mindfulness practice timed to the premenstrual phase as a possible way to help mood in PMDD, and suggests avoiding rumination may help everyone. The study used brief induced exercises rather than a full mindfulness treatment program, so it does not prove a therapy works, only that these short mental exercises shift mood in the moment. 60 / 60 Women per group (PMDD / controls) 2 Cycle phases studied 2 Days assessed per phase ## About the study Original title Induced ruminative and mindful self-focus in daily life across the menstrual cycle in women with and without premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Nayman S, Schricker IF, Grammatikos IF et al. Journal Behaviour research and therapy Year 2024 Study design Case-control study Participants 60 What was tested Brief induced rumination vs. brief induced mindful self-focus, done in daily life Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2024.104630](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2024.104630) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Mindfulness and meditation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-mindfulness/) 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, 2023 Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones? Case-control study, 2020 Do negative thoughts affect mood more strongly in women with PMDD? 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? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗