--- title: Can women in the midluteal phase suppress their response to negative emotions as well as men? description: No. Women in the midluteal phase showed greater difficulty suppressing brain responses to negative emotions compared to men, and also reported more distress a url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/women-in-the-midluteal-phase-of-the-menstrual-cycle-have-difficulty-suppressing-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Can women in the midluteal phase suppress their response to negative emotions as well as men? Survey study, 2017 # Can women in the midluteal phase suppress their response to negative emotions as well as men? No. Women in the midluteal phase showed greater difficulty suppressing brain responses to negative emotions compared to men, and also reported more distress and effort when trying to suppress their responses. Early or limited evidence 28 early follicular women, 29 midluteal women, and 27 men ## What they did Recorded brain activity while 28 early follicular women, 29 midluteal women, and 27 men completed an emotion regulation task that required them to suppress their response to negative images. ## What they found Midluteal women showed greater brain activation during emotional suppression compared to men. Both early follicular and midluteal women reported more distress than men. Midluteal women reported greater effort when suppressing their responses than men. Early brain activity (P1 and N1) was increased in midluteal women compared to men. ## What it means for you Midluteal women may find it harder to control how their brain processes negative information. This is a specialized laboratory study measuring electrical brain activity, so the findings are precise for this specific task but may not reflect everyday emotional regulation. 29 midluteal women 28 early follicular women 27 men ## About the study Original title Women in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle have difficulty suppressing the processing of negative emotional stimuli: An event-related potential study Authors Lusk BR, Carr AR, Ranson VA et al. Journal Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience Year 2017 Study design Survey study Participants 29 What was tested Emotion regulation task requiring suppression of responses to negative images Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3758/s13415-017-0520-1](https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-017-0520-1) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/) 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, 2023 Are PMS symptoms linked to genetic factors for psychiatric disorders? Cohort study, 2026 How do beliefs about control and ways of handling emotions affect distress before your period? Case-control study, 2024 How does PMDD affect how women understand and feel what others are experiencing? Case-control study, 2023 Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones? Survey study, 2022 Do women with PMDD have different brain function at different cycle phases? Cohort study, 2022 What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗