Experimental Psychology Seminar - Victor Shiramizu
Disgust Sensitivity Across the Menstrual Cycle:
Revisiting the Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis
Experimental Psychology Seminar - Victor Shiramizu
Abstract: Several studies have suggested that disgust, particularly pathogen disgust and contamination sensitivity, varies across women’s menstrual cycle, peaking in the luteal phase due to increased progesterone levels. The Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis (CPH) proposes that because progesterone suppresses immune responses during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, women compensate by showing heightened sensitivity to pathogen-related disgust cues. However, evidence supporting this hypothesis is mixed. In this talk, I will review current findings in the literature of studies testing the CPH using both large-scale between- and within-subjects designs.
Victor Shiramizu
Lecturer
University of Strathclyde
Victor Shiramizu is a Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde and a biological psychologist with expertise in behavioural endocrinology, particularly in examining how hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle influence women’s behaviour. His research addresses questions at the intersection of hormones and behaviour using diverse methods, including direct hormonal measurement, algorithmic hormone estimation, and meta-analysis.