It has been a myth passed down for generations: Now, two roommates want the world to know that the “syncing cycles” phenomenon is real.
“I used to think it was an urban legend,” said Erika Serrano, on her sixth episode of Grey’s Anatomy as her roommate napped on the couch. “But when I realized we both hadn’t gotten out of bed by 11, I thought, oh my god, we’re on the same cycle now.”
The pair have been working on their case study since they moved into their San Francisco apartment three years ago. They have come to the conclusion that, when living together, women can and will sync their cycles of depression.
“One day, when we were both at home taking mental health days, one of our phones started to ring from the kitchen,” Sylvia said, the couch cushion design imprinted on her left cheek. “It was when neither of us got up to answer it that we knew we had something here.”
The pair have kept data logs of their highs and lows diligently for the last two years, recording everything from cancelled plans to their fleeting inclinations to end their lives. According to the data, the researchers have discovered that not only are their cycles in sync, but their symptoms help each other keep a routine.
“When I feel low, I like to hide in my room and eat Cheetos puffs and kombucha until I puke,” Sylvia said. “It’s Erika’s midnight bread-baking that gets something new in my stomach.”
“And I know when I snap at the cat for not doing his chores, Sylvia’s lack of emotional interest in anything I do saves her from my irritable tendencies,” Erika said. “It works out perfectly for both of us!”
Sylvia says that their cycles are synced up to the minute.
“I usually wake up from my naps by the ‘dun-dun’ on Erika’s episode of Law and Order: SVU,” Sylvia says. “It keeps my REM sleep in check, and makes it so I can’t sleep for longer than 42 minutes. She keeps me focused.”
The pair seem to share everything: clothes, hair conditioner, feelings of worthlessness and existential dread.
“We’re even on the same menstrual cycle!” Sylvia said. “Life’s funny that way.”
Erika and Sylvia believe their synced depressive moods help them support each other not only as women but as active mental health advocates. Now, these feminist researchers believe that there may be a connection between a woman’s mood swings and the stresses of living in a man’s world.
“Women always stick together, through the highs and the lows,” Erika said. “It’s just basic science.”
