In Pain and Bleeding, but Smart AF: Study Reveals Women’s Intelligence Peaks During Periods

It’s five to seven days of discomfort, bloating, body aches, and bleeding. Yet, a new study found that women are more objective and intelligent during their periods.

The research published in the journal “Neuropsychologia” found that women on their period have faster reaction times and make fewer mistakes. This while they probably felt worse than at other times of the month.

Busting the myth: it’s not about weakness

Thanks to male stereotypes, menstruation has always been considered a type of female weakness in Western culture. They believe us to be more sensitive and less capable—after all, we are bleeding—and judge our reactions to be “hormonal.”

However, the new study by four English research centers proves quite the opposite.

In the study, the researchers asked 241 women to complete a series of cognitive tests. They did so 14 days apart to get it right at different times in their cycle. During the study, participants completed mood scales and a symptom questionnaire.

As reported by Women’s Health Magazine, the tests were “fairly straightforward.” In one, participants were shown smiling or winking faces and asked to press the space bar only when they saw a smiley face. In another test, they were asked to identify mirror images in a 3D rotation task, which tested their spatial cognition.

Participants in the study said they felt worse when they had a period. They also assumed this made them perform worse, but the opposite was true. The women had faster reaction times and made fewer errors when they were on their period.

So, are we wiser when we are menstruating?

Although the scientists found only one link between menstruation and the participants’ performance, they don’t know why it exists.

“There are many hormones going up and down throughout the cycle,” says Flaminia Ronca, PhD, lead study author and an associate professor at the University College London. “One of these hormones is progesterone, which peaks during the luteal phase and comes back down during menstruation.”

Progesterone can mess with your cerebral cortex, which plays a key role in your memory, thinking, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, emotions, and consciousness, Ronca says. That “probably explains why we are seeing slower reaction times in the luteal phase and faster during menstruation once progesterone has come down,” she explains.

However, for our ancestors, this was nothing new

Before colonization, pre-Hispanic civilizations knew that the universe was an interconnected whole. Around menstruation, they all agreed on the influence of the moon, the symbol of fertility, and the power of the changing nature of the female body.

Pre-Hispanic civilizations believed that the female body is sensitive to the rhythms of the cosmos. For the Incas, the first menstruation was the manifestation of a great power: that of giving life to another being.

For the ancient Nahua, Tlaltecuhtli, the Mother Goddess of the earth, was a being who clamored for human blood to bring the crops to fruition. Her body was the womb from which the world was born.

Today, Amazonian communities such as the Ticuna carry out careful rituals in preparation for menstruation. These rituals are oriented to health, discipline, body balance, and reflection of their social role as women.

In short, it took centuries for Western white science to understand what we have always known: menstruation is a power, not a weakness.