Hormones are amazing, but confusing chemicals within our bodies that control so many aspects of our behavior and decisions.
Testosterone is one of these hormones, and an exciting new study has shed light on how it affects our behavior towards others. The lead researcher of this study was Maarten Boksem of Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University.
It turns out; testosterone is a crucial hormone in human relationships and how we create and maintain our social relationships. The new study wanted to take an older survey a step further, where it was suggested that testosterone plays a crucial role in dominance-type behavior, which can be interpreted as “anti-social behavior.”
However, Boksem's study showed that testosterone could actually lead to more social and caring actions if the reward of such actions leads to a higher social status. Boksem states that testosterone “can induce pro-social behavior...when high status and good reputation are best served by positive behavior.”
For the study, 54 female participants drank a solution several hours before playing an investing game. Half the volunteers drank a placebo while the others drank one with added testosterone.
At the beginning of the game, they were each given $21.00 to play with. Each participant could choose how much of that money they wanted to keep and how much they'd rather invest with a trustee.
The invested money would then be tripled and split by the trustee who would keep whatever portion she wanted and return the rest to the investor.
Each participant took turns playing both roles. As a trustee, they were always given $65.61, which indicated that the investor had entrusted them with the task of splitting up the entire sum.
Now for the results: the investors who were given testosterone were more greedy with the money by keeping more of the initial sum and placing less with the trustee. The participants with the placebo trusted their investors more and invested, on average, $3.50 more than the testosterone group.
In terms of being in the investor role, the participants acted as the researchers predicted by being more anti-social and less trusting in response to a “threat” or the loss of their money.
When the roles were reversed, however, the opposite happened. The testosterone group gave more money back to the investors when they were trustees than the ones who only given the placebo. The researchers thought that the testosterone made the trustees more responsible and repaid the money they owed to the investor.
Professor Boksem stated, “While we expected the decrease in trust found in the first scenario, the increase in reciprocity was surprisingly strong and robust.
“Testosterone had a more pronounced effect on pro-social behavior than on anti-social behavior.”
This study was only performed on women, and Boksem and fellow researchers hope to run a similar stud on men.
Previous researchers at Claremont Graduate University found that men with high testosterone levels are less generous, or feel less responsibility to pay back, than men with low levels of testosterone.
It's possible this could be due to high testosterone levels blocking another hormone called oxytocin, which also plays a role in generosity. Oxytocin is the hormone released by women during after their babies are born that is believed to aid in the bonding and care for the new infant.
Stay tuned and follow our blog to keep up with the latest research about testosterone – a vital hormone for both men and women!
Contact Us Today For A Free Consultation
- MOTS-c Therapy To Improve Body Composition - December 11th, 2022
- Punicalagin: A powerful Testosterone Booster - November 24th, 2022
- Blocking Testosterone to Defeat Melanoma - August 11th, 2022
- Stomach Inflammation: Another Ailment That Testosterone Can Stop in its Tracks - August 3rd, 2022
- Study Finds that Testosterone Boosts Memory for Uncontrolled Diabetics - June 24th, 2022
- Causes of Low Libido - Could It Be Low-T? - May 30th, 2022
- The Evolutionary Effects of Testosterone on Human Society - September 20th, 2021
- More Sex: A Better Way to Boost Your Testosterone Levels - September 7th, 2021
- Men Want to Know – Free Testosterone versus Total Testosterone - August 24th, 2021
- What is testosterone? - May 23rd, 2021
- Tribulus Terrestris Review Does It Raise Testosterone or ... - May 22nd, 2021
- Boosting testosterone levels (First of two parts) - May 8th, 2021
- How long does it take for Testosterone replacement treatments and therapy to work? - May 1st, 2021
- What Is Testosterone AndroGel - April 28th, 2021
- Low T - My life was falling apart because I had low testosterone - April 25th, 2021
- Deer Antler, HGH and Testosterone: Tim on Scott and BR Radio Show - Video - April 17th, 2021
- What is Testosterone? What does Testosterone do? Find on - April 14th, 2021
- How Testosterone Affects the Skin of Men - April 11th, 2021
- Testosterone, the Power Hormone - April 8th, 2021
- Testosterone Levels and Wall Street - March 27th, 2021
- Women can resist testosterone-fuelled political debate - March 12th, 2021
- BUSTED: Myths About Testosterone And Its Link To Sexual Desire In Men And Women - March 11th, 2021
- Attention Baby Boomers -- Could Testosterone be the Modern Day "Fountain of Youth?" - March 4th, 2021
- Declining Testosterone Levels in Men Not Part of Normal Aging - February 28th, 2021
- Quick Weight Loss Tips and Diet Recommendations for HRT - February 28th, 2021
- Testosterone and Alcohol: Your Health and the Holiday Season - February 27th, 2021
- Testosterone builds muscle but has risks - February 25th, 2021
- New Study Finds That Testosterone Does Not Increase Cardiovascular Risk - February 22nd, 2021
- Evidence Suggests Testosterone Plays Powerful Role in Motivating Revolutionary Change - February 15th, 2021
- The Effects of Parenthood Upon Testosterone Levels - January 9th, 2021
- Testicular Cancer Survivors are at Risk for Low Testosterone - January 6th, 2021
- Amygdala and it's Relationship to Testosterone and Fear - December 25th, 2020
- Testosterone Does Not Cause Atherosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries) in Older Men - December 24th, 2020
- Increased Testosterone DOES NOT Cause Prostate Cancer to Spread - December 23rd, 2020
- Testosterone Cypionate and Testosterone Enanthate: The Real Facts - December 20th, 2020
- A Surprising Side Effect of Methadone Treatment: Suppressed Testosterone - December 18th, 2020
- The Testosterone Industry Globally is Booming - December 12th, 2020
- Five Benefits of Testosterone That You Need to Know - December 11th, 2020
- Testosterone Nasal Gel: A New Form of Testosterone Replacement Therapy - December 5th, 2020
- New Research Proves Testosterone Replacement Therapy is Safe for the Heart - December 3rd, 2020
- Skinny Bartender with Low Testosterone Becomes a Ripped Bodybuilder - December 3rd, 2020
- Low-T and Your Health - November 30th, 2020
- Low Testosterone Levels may Affect Man's Sex Drive and Affect his Intimate Relationships - November 19th, 2020
- Is Testosterone the New Drug of Choice on Wall Street? How Traders are Using Male Hormone Booster Shots to Maintain a ... - November 12th, 2020
- Shorter course of ADT for high-risk prostate cancer patients yields improved quality of life - November 11th, 2020
- Testosterone Litigation: What You Need To Know - MTMP - Video - November 9th, 2020
- Methadone Lowers Testosterone in Men Only - November 8th, 2020
- Should middle-aged men consider 'low T' treatment? - November 5th, 2020
- Testosterone and Crime: What Can Genes Tell Us About Behavior? - Video - October 25th, 2020
- Testosterone shown to help sexually frustrated women - October 22nd, 2020
- Testosterone levels seen prior to birth in fetus' fingers, jawline - October 20th, 2020
- Tri-Blend Testosterone. Understanding the Benefits of Testosterone Oils - October 19th, 2020
- Testosterone levels in older men - October 17th, 2020
- Tlando Testosterone Clinical Trial for Low-T and Fatty Liver Disease - October 4th, 2020
- Testosterone Focus in Diabetes Study – Video - September 30th, 2020
- Testshock Review All Natural Testosterone Enhancement – Video - September 30th, 2020
- Testosterone, Anxiety, and Depression - September 30th, 2020
- Average Testosterone Levels Decreasing Over Time Among Younger American Men - August 21st, 2020
- Testosterone Creams for Low Testosterone Treatment and Andropause - August 10th, 2020
- Testosterone Therapy and Androgen Deficiency Guide - August 6th, 2020
- Testosterone's Surprising Link to Men's 'Love Hormone' Oxytocin - August 5th, 2020
- Fortesta Brand Testosterone Therapy - August 3rd, 2020
- Andropause: Age-Associated Testosterone Decline - August 1st, 2020
- How to Build Muscle Quickly by Boosting Testosterone Levels - July 29th, 2020
- Testosterone Deficiency Strongly Linked to Heart Attack Risk in New Study - July 26th, 2020
- Seven Types of Drugs That Can Inhibit Sex Drive and Libido - July 22nd, 2020
- Testosterone and Geriatric Frailty - July 21st, 2020
- Testosterone and Aggression: How T-Levels Impact Human Response to External, Social Threats - July 12th, 2020
- High-Dose Testosterone Injections May Be a Viable Palliative Late-Stage Prostate Cancer Treatment - July 12th, 2020
- Could Civilization Have Been Formed as a Result of Declining Testosterone Levels in Males? - July 6th, 2020
- Testosterone Therapy Allows Man to Have the Body That He Was Meant to Have - July 5th, 2020
- Testosterone Injections for Low-T and Andropause - July 4th, 2020
- Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) Reduces the Risk of Serious Adverse Health Consequences! - June 30th, 2020
- Testosterone not always to blame - Sat, 04 Aug 2012 PST - June 28th, 2020
- Five Facts About Testosterone (That Maybe You Didn't Know) - June 27th, 2020
- Manhood Washed Away: You Could Unknowingly be Annihilating Your Testosterone - June 23rd, 2020
- Testosterone: Should You Take it to Regain Your Libido and Youthful Energy? - June 22nd, 2020
- Testosterone Replacement Therapy Boosts Aerobic Capacity - June 15th, 2020
- Physiology of Testosterone - June 9th, 2020
- The Truth Behind Common Male Sex Myths - May 26th, 2020
Word Count: 571