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EXCLUSIVE Why women want to see more of their friends at a certain time of the month By SOPHIE FREEMAN Published: 17:36 EDT, 9 March 2025 | Updated: 17:41 EDT, 9 March 2025 e-mail View comments Women want to see their friends and family more in the second half of their monthly cycles, a study suggests. Connecting with our nearest and dearest becomes more important two weeks after ovulation when an egg is released, researchers found. They said women evolved to 'affiliate' with those close to them during this phase to ensure maximum protection if they become pregnant.
'The desire to spend time with [friends and family] is highest in the luteal phase compared to the other times in the menstrual cycle,' said lead researcher Dr Anastasia Makhanova from the University of Arkansas in the US. 'Throughout most of human evolutionary history, women spent a large portion of their lives in states of increased vulnerability to threats due to pregnancy and infant care,' they wrote in their research paper. 'The recurrent challenges posed by pregnancy may have shaped the development of self-protective strategies that help women combat those threats.
' An increased risk of illness in the early months due to the immune changes necessary for fetal development, and later, an inability to move fast if in danger, would have meant they needed trusted people around them to care for them in order to survive. Giving birth without assistance would also have been more risky. Women want to see their friends and family more in the second half of their monthly cycles, a study suggests.
Pictured: File photo Connecting with our nearest and dearest becomes more important two weeks after ovulation when an egg is released, researchers found. Pictured: File photo 'Many of the challenges posed by pregnancy can be mitigated if women rely on a strong social support network,' the team wrote. Dr Makhanova told the Mail: 'Women's bodies begin preparing for the possibility of pregnancy right after ovulation, in the luteal phase, and we found that women's social preparations that can help them deal with those challenges would also begin in the luteal phase and coincide with increases in progesterone that occur during that stage of the menstrual cycle.
' For the study, published in the journal Hormones and Behaviour, Dr Makhanova's colleagues at Jagiellonian University, Poland, tracked 99 Polish women aged between 21 and 37 who were not taking hormonal contraceptives and had regular periods. They were asked to complete a questionnaire three times in their cycles: seven days after the start of their period (the mid-follicular stage); around the time of ovulation, (when an egg is released); and during the luteal phase, when the womb lining thickens to prepare for a pregnancy. The participants had to rate, on a scale, how much they agreed with certain statements such as 'today I want to spend time with my friends'.
They said women evolved to 'affiliate' with those close to them during this phase to ensure maximum protection if they become pregnant. Pictured: File photo They also gave saliva samples which showed that, as expected, progesterone was higher in the luteal phase compared to the other points in their cycles. Previous studies have also found women are more drawn to photographs of people who look like them, when they're in the luteal phase, suggesting a drive to surround themselves with relations at this time.
They also prefer spending money on gifts for their close friends and family, rather than themselves, when in this stage of their cycle, research has shown. Share or comment on this article: Why women want to see more of their friends at a certain time of the month e-mail Add comment Comments 0 Share what you think No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
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