Study Suggests The Pill Could Affect A Woman's Ability To Read Emotions

A new study has shown that the contraceptive pill may inhibit women from registering and reading emotions.

The study was conducted by the University of Greifswald in Germany, with 95 female participants.

Of this number, 42 were on the pill, while 53 were not.

The women were then shown black and white photographs of people's faces and asked to identify the emotion shown.

It was concluded by the researchers that women on the pill were able to discern if someone was happy or scared, but were 10 per cent less likely to read expressions of pride or contempt.

"Women with oral contraceptive use may be specifically impaired during the processing of negative expressions that are difficult to recognise," the study findings said.

However, while these findings have resulted in calls for further research into the area of 'emotional recognition' and the pill, experts have also noted that the study sample only tested a relatively small number of women.

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