Little evidence for sex or ovarian hormone influences on affective variability

Abstract

Women were historically excluded from research participation partly due to the assumption that ovarian hormone fluctuations lead to variation, especially in emotion, that could not be experimentally controlled. Although challenged in principle and practice, relevant empirical data are limited by single measurement occasions. The current paper fills this knowledge gap using data from a 75-day intensive longitudinal study. Three indices of daily affective variability—volatility, emotional inertia, and cyclicity—were evaluated using Bayesian inferential methods in 142 men, naturally cycling women, and women using three different oral contraceptive formulations (that “stabilize” hormone fluctuations). Results provided more evidence for similarities between men and women—and between naturally cycling women and oral contraceptive users—than for differences. Even if differences exist, effects are likely small. Thus, there is little indication that ovarian hormones influence affective variability in women to a greater extent than the biopsychosocial factors that influence daily emotion in men.

Why the estrous cycle matters for neuroscience

“…Our results also debunk the myth that female variability is predictive of the importance of the estrous cycle for the regulation of the outcome of interest. This frequently touted misconception states that it is now proven that the estrous and menstrual cycles do not make females more variable than males, and that this means that (a) females deserve to be studied and that (b) ovarian cycles are not important experimental considerations [24,46,47]. First, we show that it is possible to not find any difference in the variability between males and females, and still find an effect of the estrous cycle.…”

Gender-aware Parkinson’s care: a design-based study of patient perspectives on gender norms and gender-sensitive care

“…Research suggests that, although men and women tend to have similar emotional reactivity and fluctuations, men are more likely than women to suppress emotional expression in certain situations. 31 , 32 A recent study reported greater gender role flexibility in women compared to men, which refers to the capacity to contextually switch between self-perceived masculine and feminine behaviours. Men experienced more negative affectivity, such as increased anxiety, self-criticism and feelings of depression when ‘code switching’ gender roles.…”

The brain in flow: A systematic review on the neural basis of the flow state

“…Some of them even justify the selective inclusion of men to reduce putative sex differences due to hormonal alterations during the menstrual cycle (Ulrich et al, 2014(Ulrich et al, , 2018. However, the hormone-brain-cognition relationship is not as straightforward as one might think (Fine, 2010(Fine, , 2017Weigard et al, 2021), and brain differences between males and females appear trivial and population-specific based on recent accounts (Eliot et al, 2021;Rippon, 2019). In any case, to be representative of the whole population, studies should include male and female participants.…”