---
title: Does how women react to jealousy change during the menstrual cycle?
description: Yes. Women showed stronger physical signs of emotional reaction to jealousy during the preovulatory phase, especially when imagining emotional rather than sex
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/jealousy-general-creativity-and-coping-with-social-frustration-during-the-1996/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does how women react to jealousy change during the menstrual cycle?

Survey study, 1996

# Does how women react to jealousy change during the menstrual cycle?

Yes. Women showed stronger physical signs of emotional reaction to jealousy during the preovulatory phase, especially when imagining emotional rather than sexual betrayal.

 Early or limited evidence

16 women at three menstrual cycle phases

## What they did

Researchers tested 16 women at three cycle phases while they listened to jealousy stories. Skin sensors measured physical emotional responses. Women rated how jealous they felt and completed tests of creativity and coping.

## What they found

Physical emotional reactions were stronger during the preovulatory phase, particularly when listening to stories about emotional jealousy. Rated jealousy tended to be higher during ovulation, especially after the emotional jealousy story. Around ovulation, women also showed better creative thinking and less aggressive ways of coping with frustration.

## What it means for you

Hormones affect emotional responses during the cycle. The main limits are the small sample size and that responses were measured only briefly at each cycle phase.

16

women studied

3

menstrual cycle phases tested

## About the study

Original title Jealousy, general creativity, and coping with social frustration during the menstrual cycle Authors Krug R, Finn M, Pietrowsky R et al. Journal Archives of sexual behavior Year 1996 Study design Survey study Participants 16 What was tested Measurement of emotional reactions to jealousy scenarios at three menstrual cycle phases Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/bf02437935](https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02437935)

## Topics

[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)

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

Cohort study, 2021

Are low antioxidant vitamins or high oxidative stress linked to premenstrual syndrome?

Survey study, 2026

Does childhood trauma cause worse PMS, and can social support help?

Systematic review, 2026

What types of talking therapy have been studied for PMS and PMDD?

Survey study, 2025

Does thinking repeatedly about distressing thoughts make PMS worse, and can being mentally flexible help?

Cohort study, 2025

Do pain sensitivity and negative thinking explain how trauma and stress cause PMS or PMDD?

Cohort study, 2023

Does recreational physical exercise reduce premenstrual symptoms in teenage girls?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗