Research published in the journal of Adaptive Human Behavior and Psychology looked at how hormonal contraception affects a woman’s competitive drive. Women who do not use hormonal contraception experience a surge in motivation during the days leading to ovulation. This is caused by the high levels of estrogen and testosterone before ovulation. Women who use artificial hormones or don’t ovulate don’t experience that surge.

Lead researcher, Lindsie Arthur-Hulme, reported that 75% of the population of the study who were on hormonal contraceptives took the contraceptive pill. Other participants on contraceptives used the contraceptive implant, the vaginal ring, or the contraceptive patch. She said: “It’s crazy, it blows my mind” about the fact that, for more than 61 years, no one has studied the psychological impact of the pill on the more than 100 million women who take it each day.

The authors of the study conclude that this “research contributes to the growing body of literature suggesting that hormonal contraceptives may influence psychology and behavior by disrupting evolved hormonal mechanisms”.

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