title: Effects of menstrual cycle phase on ratings of implicitly erotic art.
abstract: Women's perceptions of and responses to explicitly erotic stimuli have been shown to vary across the menstrual cycle. The present study examined responses to implicit eroticism. A total of 83 women provided reactions to paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe in 6 day intervals over the course of 1 month. Among freely cycling women (n = 37), 31% of their descriptions included sexual themes during the first half of their cycle, dropping to 9% of descriptions in the second half. In women using oral contraceptives (n = 46), there was no significant difference in descriptions across the cycle (13% in the first half vs. 17% in the second half). Results were discussed in terms of evolutionary psychology and social-cognitive perspectives on the relationships between hormonal fluctuations and sexuality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104, USA. rudski@muhlenberg.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rudski
authors.forename: Lauren R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Joy E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004882:Erotica / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology*; D010151:Paintings / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral