Study, 1986
Do women in the premenstrual phase see social situations differently than other women and men?
Yes. Women in the premenstrual phase reported feeling more dominant, energetic, indifferent, negative and tense when watching a social interaction, and they judged the situation and people differently than other women and men.
What they did
Women in different menstrual cycle phases and men watched a videotape of a nurse interacting with a hospitalized patient. They then rated their feelings about the interaction and evaluated the nurse.
What they found
Premenstrual women reported feeling more dominant, energetic, indifferent, negative and somewhat tense compared to menstruating women or women mid-cycle. They rated the nurse as less attractive and assigned greater responsibility to the patient for the nurse's behavior. All women across all cycle phases rated the nurse more positively than men on several qualities and felt more friendly toward her.
What it means for you
The premenstrual phase may affect how women perceive social situations and interpret people's behavior. This was an observational study, so it does not prove that premenstrual changes cause these perceptions.
About the study
- Original title
- Social Stimulus Perception and Self-Evaluation: Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase
- Authors
- Sheryle W. Alagna, Jean A. Hamilton
- Journal
- Psychology of Women Quarterly
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Watching and rating a videotape interaction
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1986.tb00758.x
Topics
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