The pill may cause motivation dips, new study shows

WORDS Sonia Blair PHOTOGRAPHY Pinterest PUBLISHED Fri, 26 Aug 2022 - 12:59 pm

A new study from the University of Melbourne has found the birth control pill may be impeding on women’s motivation, particularly at certain points in their menstrual cycle. The world-first research left many of its co-authors “mind blown” at the staggering results.

What did the study reveal about women's motivation?

The study revealed of its 278 participants, those not currently using a hormonal contraceptive pill experienced an increase in their motivation at the time of ovulation, contrasting with those taking a birth control pill who experienced a “flattened” motivation drive. This shows as six-times lower than that of non-contraceptive users. The motivational peak mentioned during the fertile stage usually aligns with motivation for self-development or to top your own previous achievements. This is a time ideal for taking on challenging tasks, which may be impeded by the use of the pill.

More than 60 years after the contraceptive pill was first widely used, now more than 100 million people take the pill each day, making it even more baffling that it has taken this long for thorough research to be conducted into its impact on women's motivational desires. Researchers say they do not know why the fluctuations occur, with the current hypothesis that hormonal contraceptives could disrupt the motivational process.

Is this dip in motivation a bad thing?

Currently, it remains unclear how much of a detriment it is for women to experience a drop in motivation while ovulating, however the research found overall, hormonal contraceptive users and non-contraceptive users experience the same amount of motivation as a whole, meaning women on the pill may experience an uptick in motivation at another point in theri cycle.

Of course, this won’t come as a shock to many women. For years, women have voiced how their motivation and mood radically alters once on the pill and once off of it. Without wanting to sound too cynical, it almost feels like we’re being mansplained what we have known for a substantial amount of time already.