Wise Young
10-26-2006, 02:45 PM
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2051583.html?menu=news.quirkies
Women are grumpier than men in the morning, according to a new survey.
The study found women were grumpier than men when they wake up - and stay in a bad mood for longer.
<more>
http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=77505&pt=n
Some 24% of men say that they never awake grumpy compared to only 14% of women. British people are apparently amongst the grumpiest. In Northern Ireland, more than a third of the respondents said that they felt crabby after the first hour after waking.
This study by the Sleep Council in Britain has been widely reported in UK.
http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=27806&hilite=
Aside from avoiding British and particularly North Irelanders in the morning, I wondered what possible biological implications could underlie this phenomenon and whether this had been reported before. A little searching revealed a study presented in last year's British Psychological Society Conference reported that women are far grumpier than men (Source (http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=343462005)).
Mellow old men leave the anger to grumpy women
PETER RANSCOMBE
GRUMPY old men, exemplified by the moaning Victor Meldrew, are a myth, new research suggested yesterday.
But the study also showed that women, both young and old, get equally cross, making older women grumpier than their male counterparts.
The researchers discovered that men tend to mellow as they get older and do not take on the mantle of grumpy television character Victor Meldrew, but found levels of self-reported anger among women stayed roughly the same throughout their age range. The team at Middlesex University looked at 52 men and 101 women aged between 18 and 60.
<more>
Although the paper attributed to "grumpiness" to lower quality of sleep, other explanations should be considered. For example, lower blood sugar levels may lead to "grumpiness" (Source (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/living/stories/0705lvlovefood.html)).
Another possibility is a possible linkage between grumpy and brainy (Source (http://www.webmd.com/content/article/126/116267)).
Are Smart People Grumpier?
Maybe After 60, Shows Personality and Intelligence Study
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Thursday, August 10, 2006
Aug. 10, 2006 -- Grumpy and brainy may go together in older folks; but young people tend to be more open and friendly if they're bright, researchers report.
The study looking at the connection between personality and intelligence was presented today at the American Psychological Association's 2006 convention in New Orleans. <more>
A quick review of the medical literature revealed several possible explanations. Wu, et al. (2000) reported on the incidence of "male menopause". Apparently, testosterone production dwindles quickly after age 50 to become 20-50% of peak levels in men. Amongst the symptoms was grumpiness. Even though it occurs, it is possible the more women start earlier with menopause and women live longer than men and therefore there are more older women with menopause then men with low testosterone.
Wu CY, Yu TJ and Chen MJ (2000). Age related testosterone level changes and male andropause syndrome. Chang Gung Med J 23: 348-53. BACKGROUND: Much like the menopause syndrome occurring among older women, a similar condition has been defined among men. Testosterone production increases rapidly at the onset of puberty, then dwindles quickly after age 50 to become 20 to 50% of the peak level by age 80. Many men older than age 50 have experienced frailty syndrome, which includes decrease of libido, easy fatigue, mood disturbance, accelerated osteoporosis, and decreased muscle strength. We investigated serum total testosterone levels and andropause syndrome in men. METHODS: Serum total testosterone levels were measured in 53 symptomatic men older than age 50 and in 48 men younger than age 40 for a control group. We also analyzed andropause symptoms among the 53 men older than age 50. RESULTS: The mean serum total testosterone level in the symptomatic men older than age 50 (mean: 2.68 +/- 0.51 ng/ml, range: 1.21 to 4.13 ng/ml) was significantly lower than that in the control group (mean: 7.01 +/- 0.82 ng/ml, range: 5.53 ng/ml to 8.14 ng/ml). Male frailty syndrome in these men older than 50 included: decreased libido (91%), lack of energy (89%), erection problems (79%), falling asleep after dinner (77%), memory impairment (77%), loss of pubic hair (70%), sad or grumpy mood changes (68%), decrease in endurance (66%), loss of axillary hair (55%), and deterioration in work performance (51%). CONCLUSION: The serum total testosterone level showed a decline with aging, especially in the men older than age 50. Low serum testosterone levels were also associated with the symptoms of male andropause syndrome. Department of Family Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C. yin516@ksmail.seed.net.tw http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=10958037
Women have an increased risk of new onset depression during their menopausal transition, according to Cohen, et al. (2006).
Cohen LS, Soares CN, Vitonis AF, Otto MW and Harlow BL (2006). Risk for new onset of depression during the menopausal transition: the Harvard study of moods and cycles. Arch Gen Psychiatry 63: 385-90. CONTEXT: Transition to menopause has long been considered a period of increased risk for depressive symptoms. However, it is unclear whether this period is one of increased risk for major depressive disorder, particularly for women who have not had a previous episode of depression. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the menopausal transition and onset of first lifetime episode of depression among women with no history of mood disturbance. DESIGN: Longitudinal, prospective cohort study. SETTING: A population-based cross-sectional sample. PARTICIPANTS: Premenopausal women, 36 to 45 years of age, with no lifetime diagnosis of major depression (N = 460), residing in 7 Boston, Mass, metropolitan area communities.Main Outcome Measure Incidence of new onset of depression based on structured clinical interviews, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores, and an operational construct for depression. RESULTS: Premenopausal women with no lifetime history of major depression who entered the perimenopause were twice as likely to develop significant depressive symptoms as women who remained premenopausal, after adjustment for age at study enrollment and history of negative life events. The increased risk for depression was somewhat greater in women with self-reported vasomotor symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that within a similarly aged population of women with no lifetime history of depression, those who enter the menopausal transition earlier have a significant risk for first onset of depression. Further studies are needed to determine more definitively whether other factors, such as the presence of vasomotor symptoms, use of hormone therapy, and the occurrence of adverse life events, independently modify this risk. Physical symptoms associated with the menopausal transition and mood changes seen during this period may affect many women as they age and may lead to a significant burden of illness. Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Clinical Research Program and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 02114, USA. lcohen2@partners.org http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=16585467
Morgan, et al. (2005) reported that estrogen augmentation relieves mood but not memory in perimenopausal women
Morgan ML, Cook IA, Rapkin AJ and Leuchter AF (2005). Estrogen augmentation of antidepressants in perimenopausal depression: a pilot study. J Clin Psychiatry 66: 774-80. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of estrogen augmentation on mood and memory in women with perimenopausal depression who had experienced a partial response to antidepressant medications. METHOD: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 17 subjects taking antidepressant medication were randomly assigned to either 0.625 mg/day of conjugated estrogen (N = 11) or matching placebo (N = 6) for 6 weeks. Women between the ages of 40 and 60 years with DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) in partial remission who had been taking antidepressant medication for a minimum of 8 weeks and were experiencing 1 or more perimenopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods, sleep disturbance, memory impairment) were recruited from the community. The primary outcome measures were the final scores for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Buschke Selective Reminding Test. Data were gathered from April 2002 to August 2003. RESULTS: Women receiving estrogen had a significantly larger decrease in HAM-D scores than women receiving placebo (t = 2.86, df = 15, p = .012). Group differences in tests of verbal memory were not significant, although improved scores in verbal memory were significantly correlated with a decrease in follicle-stimulating hormone (p = .021). CONCLUSION: Short-term, low-dose estrogen augmentation of antidepressant medication was significantly associated with improved mood, but not memory, in perimenopausal women with MDD in partial remission. Laboratory of Behavioral Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 90024, USA. melinda@ucla.edu http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=15960574
In addition, perimenopausal symptoms are associated with poorer sleep in women
Kloss JD, Tweedy K and Gilrain K (2004). Psychological factors associated with sleep disturbance among perimenopausal women. Behav Sleep Med 2: 177-90. The complex nature of sleep among perimenopausal women warrants a biopsychosocial conceptualization; however, research on the psychological factors that contribute to the increased prevalence of poor sleep quality during this time is limited. We conducted a survey study of perimenopausal women (N = 168) to investigate the relations among nocturnal hot flashes, mood, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep (DBAS), and subjective sleep quality. Self-report ratings of depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, hot flashes, and DBAS significantly correlated with poor sleep quality. Ratings on the DBAS Scale-Short Form mediated the relations both between nocturnal hot flashes and sleep quality and between mood and sleep quality. The interplay between physiological and psychological mechanisms among perimenopausal women is highlighted. Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. jdk29@drexel.edu http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=15600054
I wonder about the ages of the people that were sampled in the study and the extent to which the survey represented men and women in their 50's.
In any case, there are a myriad of explanations for the finding and not necessarily an intrinsic difference of grumpiness between men and women in the morning.
Wise.
Women are grumpier than men in the morning, according to a new survey.
The study found women were grumpier than men when they wake up - and stay in a bad mood for longer.
<more>
http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=77505&pt=n
Some 24% of men say that they never awake grumpy compared to only 14% of women. British people are apparently amongst the grumpiest. In Northern Ireland, more than a third of the respondents said that they felt crabby after the first hour after waking.
This study by the Sleep Council in Britain has been widely reported in UK.
http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=27806&hilite=
Aside from avoiding British and particularly North Irelanders in the morning, I wondered what possible biological implications could underlie this phenomenon and whether this had been reported before. A little searching revealed a study presented in last year's British Psychological Society Conference reported that women are far grumpier than men (Source (http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=343462005)).
Mellow old men leave the anger to grumpy women
PETER RANSCOMBE
GRUMPY old men, exemplified by the moaning Victor Meldrew, are a myth, new research suggested yesterday.
But the study also showed that women, both young and old, get equally cross, making older women grumpier than their male counterparts.
The researchers discovered that men tend to mellow as they get older and do not take on the mantle of grumpy television character Victor Meldrew, but found levels of self-reported anger among women stayed roughly the same throughout their age range. The team at Middlesex University looked at 52 men and 101 women aged between 18 and 60.
<more>
Although the paper attributed to "grumpiness" to lower quality of sleep, other explanations should be considered. For example, lower blood sugar levels may lead to "grumpiness" (Source (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/living/stories/0705lvlovefood.html)).
Another possibility is a possible linkage between grumpy and brainy (Source (http://www.webmd.com/content/article/126/116267)).
Are Smart People Grumpier?
Maybe After 60, Shows Personality and Intelligence Study
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Thursday, August 10, 2006
Aug. 10, 2006 -- Grumpy and brainy may go together in older folks; but young people tend to be more open and friendly if they're bright, researchers report.
The study looking at the connection between personality and intelligence was presented today at the American Psychological Association's 2006 convention in New Orleans. <more>
A quick review of the medical literature revealed several possible explanations. Wu, et al. (2000) reported on the incidence of "male menopause". Apparently, testosterone production dwindles quickly after age 50 to become 20-50% of peak levels in men. Amongst the symptoms was grumpiness. Even though it occurs, it is possible the more women start earlier with menopause and women live longer than men and therefore there are more older women with menopause then men with low testosterone.
Wu CY, Yu TJ and Chen MJ (2000). Age related testosterone level changes and male andropause syndrome. Chang Gung Med J 23: 348-53. BACKGROUND: Much like the menopause syndrome occurring among older women, a similar condition has been defined among men. Testosterone production increases rapidly at the onset of puberty, then dwindles quickly after age 50 to become 20 to 50% of the peak level by age 80. Many men older than age 50 have experienced frailty syndrome, which includes decrease of libido, easy fatigue, mood disturbance, accelerated osteoporosis, and decreased muscle strength. We investigated serum total testosterone levels and andropause syndrome in men. METHODS: Serum total testosterone levels were measured in 53 symptomatic men older than age 50 and in 48 men younger than age 40 for a control group. We also analyzed andropause symptoms among the 53 men older than age 50. RESULTS: The mean serum total testosterone level in the symptomatic men older than age 50 (mean: 2.68 +/- 0.51 ng/ml, range: 1.21 to 4.13 ng/ml) was significantly lower than that in the control group (mean: 7.01 +/- 0.82 ng/ml, range: 5.53 ng/ml to 8.14 ng/ml). Male frailty syndrome in these men older than 50 included: decreased libido (91%), lack of energy (89%), erection problems (79%), falling asleep after dinner (77%), memory impairment (77%), loss of pubic hair (70%), sad or grumpy mood changes (68%), decrease in endurance (66%), loss of axillary hair (55%), and deterioration in work performance (51%). CONCLUSION: The serum total testosterone level showed a decline with aging, especially in the men older than age 50. Low serum testosterone levels were also associated with the symptoms of male andropause syndrome. Department of Family Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C. yin516@ksmail.seed.net.tw http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=10958037
Women have an increased risk of new onset depression during their menopausal transition, according to Cohen, et al. (2006).
Cohen LS, Soares CN, Vitonis AF, Otto MW and Harlow BL (2006). Risk for new onset of depression during the menopausal transition: the Harvard study of moods and cycles. Arch Gen Psychiatry 63: 385-90. CONTEXT: Transition to menopause has long been considered a period of increased risk for depressive symptoms. However, it is unclear whether this period is one of increased risk for major depressive disorder, particularly for women who have not had a previous episode of depression. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the menopausal transition and onset of first lifetime episode of depression among women with no history of mood disturbance. DESIGN: Longitudinal, prospective cohort study. SETTING: A population-based cross-sectional sample. PARTICIPANTS: Premenopausal women, 36 to 45 years of age, with no lifetime diagnosis of major depression (N = 460), residing in 7 Boston, Mass, metropolitan area communities.Main Outcome Measure Incidence of new onset of depression based on structured clinical interviews, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores, and an operational construct for depression. RESULTS: Premenopausal women with no lifetime history of major depression who entered the perimenopause were twice as likely to develop significant depressive symptoms as women who remained premenopausal, after adjustment for age at study enrollment and history of negative life events. The increased risk for depression was somewhat greater in women with self-reported vasomotor symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that within a similarly aged population of women with no lifetime history of depression, those who enter the menopausal transition earlier have a significant risk for first onset of depression. Further studies are needed to determine more definitively whether other factors, such as the presence of vasomotor symptoms, use of hormone therapy, and the occurrence of adverse life events, independently modify this risk. Physical symptoms associated with the menopausal transition and mood changes seen during this period may affect many women as they age and may lead to a significant burden of illness. Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry Clinical Research Program and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, 02114, USA. lcohen2@partners.org http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=16585467
Morgan, et al. (2005) reported that estrogen augmentation relieves mood but not memory in perimenopausal women
Morgan ML, Cook IA, Rapkin AJ and Leuchter AF (2005). Estrogen augmentation of antidepressants in perimenopausal depression: a pilot study. J Clin Psychiatry 66: 774-80. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of estrogen augmentation on mood and memory in women with perimenopausal depression who had experienced a partial response to antidepressant medications. METHOD: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 17 subjects taking antidepressant medication were randomly assigned to either 0.625 mg/day of conjugated estrogen (N = 11) or matching placebo (N = 6) for 6 weeks. Women between the ages of 40 and 60 years with DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) in partial remission who had been taking antidepressant medication for a minimum of 8 weeks and were experiencing 1 or more perimenopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods, sleep disturbance, memory impairment) were recruited from the community. The primary outcome measures were the final scores for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Buschke Selective Reminding Test. Data were gathered from April 2002 to August 2003. RESULTS: Women receiving estrogen had a significantly larger decrease in HAM-D scores than women receiving placebo (t = 2.86, df = 15, p = .012). Group differences in tests of verbal memory were not significant, although improved scores in verbal memory were significantly correlated with a decrease in follicle-stimulating hormone (p = .021). CONCLUSION: Short-term, low-dose estrogen augmentation of antidepressant medication was significantly associated with improved mood, but not memory, in perimenopausal women with MDD in partial remission. Laboratory of Behavioral Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 90024, USA. melinda@ucla.edu http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=15960574
In addition, perimenopausal symptoms are associated with poorer sleep in women
Kloss JD, Tweedy K and Gilrain K (2004). Psychological factors associated with sleep disturbance among perimenopausal women. Behav Sleep Med 2: 177-90. The complex nature of sleep among perimenopausal women warrants a biopsychosocial conceptualization; however, research on the psychological factors that contribute to the increased prevalence of poor sleep quality during this time is limited. We conducted a survey study of perimenopausal women (N = 168) to investigate the relations among nocturnal hot flashes, mood, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep (DBAS), and subjective sleep quality. Self-report ratings of depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, hot flashes, and DBAS significantly correlated with poor sleep quality. Ratings on the DBAS Scale-Short Form mediated the relations both between nocturnal hot flashes and sleep quality and between mood and sleep quality. The interplay between physiological and psychological mechanisms among perimenopausal women is highlighted. Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. jdk29@drexel.edu http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Citation&list_uids=15600054
I wonder about the ages of the people that were sampled in the study and the extent to which the survey represented men and women in their 50's.
In any case, there are a myriad of explanations for the finding and not necessarily an intrinsic difference of grumpiness between men and women in the morning.
Wise.