Sociality and Motivation: Women's Affiliative Trends Throughout the Menstrual Cycle

Abstract

Although most studies examining changes in women’s behavior across the menstrual cycle focus on ovulation, some research has begun to examine changes in women’s behavior specific to the luteal phase and the associated increases in progesterone. From an evolutionary perspective, because of increased pressures related to pregnancy, the luteal phase may be associated with greater social attunement. Consistently, women in the luteal phase (or when they have higher progesterone) pay more attention to facial stimuli compared to objects. We examined women’s affiliative motives within the scope of existing social networks. We predicted that, compared to the follicular phase, women would demonstrate lower affiliative motives during the ovulatory phase and higher affiliative motives during the luteal phase. Moreover, we predicted that within-woman changes in progesterone would be positively associated with affiliative motives. Polish women (N=100) participated in a longitudinal study involving three assessments (follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases). At each assessment, women completed a series of questions gauging their affiliative motives and provided saliva samples that were assayed for progesterone. Although there was no differences between the follicular and ovulatory phases [p=.548], women felt more affiliative in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase [p=.005]. There was a non-significant trend for higher within-woman fluctuations in progesterone to be associated with more affiliative motives [p=.114]. Women affiliate more during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. This is consistent with the evolutionary view that the luteal phase may be associated with greater social attunement.