The Irish Times - Wednesday, February 1, 2012
DICK AHLSTROM, Science Editor
IT CAN happen in juries and local groups, in Dáil committees and company board rooms. Too much testosterone can thwart good decision-making.
People have long blamed the male hormone for damaging group dynamic and now University College London researchers have proven this to be true.
Toss in some excess testosterone and co-operation tends to go out the window.
Dr Nick Wright and colleagues at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL tested the impact of testosterone on the levels of co-operative decision-making accomplished by groups. They publish their findings this morning in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B .
Other experiments had already shown that subjects given the female hormone oxytocin tended to be more co-operative.
The university team wanted to see whether testosterone could produce the opposite effect, Dr Wright said.
Men already have high levels of the hormone and if extra is given it will quickly be broken down. For this reason only women were used as subjects, Dr Wright said.
Supplements were given to elevate their testosterone levels temporarily and the women conducted a series of tests to measure levels of co-operation.
Dr Wright used 17 pairs of female volunteers who were asked to watch images on separate screens, trying to identify a particular target. If they co-operated well, their results would be better than if they did not collaborate on the task.
The tests took several days with both subjects in a pair receiving a testosterone supplement one day and a placebo on another. In this way the researchers could directly compare levels of co-operation when influenced by the hormone.
“When we gave them testosterone the benefit delivered by co-operation was halved,” Dr Wright said.
The women tended to favour their own view over their partners’ and tended to act egocentrically.
The findings may help explain how a dominant individual can diminish contributions made by others in a group, even though group decision-making is usually superior, Dr Wright said.
All this could be something to consider when making jury selections lest an alpha male or female come to dominate. It could also have an impact on the decisions made by company boards, he said.
“You may get imbalances in people seeking to dominate proceedings and that will lead to [poorer] decision making,” Dr Wright said.
John Williams, head of neuroscience and mental health at the Wellcome Trust, said: “Co-operating with others has obvious advantages for sharing skills and experience, but we know it doesn’t always work, particularly if one alpha male or alpha female dominates the decision-making.”
So, it is not that men are bad at making decisions. It is just that testosterone may be getting in the way.
See more here:
Too much testosterone makes for bad decisions, tests show
Contact Us Today For A Free Consultation
- MOTS-c Therapy To Improve Body Composition - December 15th, 2022 [December 11th, 2022]
- Punicalagin: A powerful Testosterone Booster - January 17th, 2023 [November 24th, 2022]
- Blocking Testosterone to Defeat Melanoma - September 9th, 2022 [August 11th, 2022]
- Stomach Inflammation: Another Ailment That Testosterone Can Stop in its Tracks - December 19th, 2022 [August 3rd, 2022]
- Study Finds that Testosterone Boosts Memory for Uncontrolled Diabetics - July 11th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Causes of Low Libido - Could It Be Low-T? - June 24th, 2022 [May 30th, 2022]
- The Evolutionary Effects of Testosterone on Human Society - November 24th, 2021 [September 20th, 2021]
- More Sex: A Better Way to Boost Your Testosterone Levels - October 30th, 2021 [September 7th, 2021]
- Men Want to Know – Free Testosterone versus Total Testosterone - January 2nd, 2023 [August 24th, 2021]
- What is testosterone? - November 10th, 2021 [May 23rd, 2021]
- Tribulus Terrestris Review Does It Raise Testosterone or ... - May 23rd, 2021 [May 22nd, 2021]
- Boosting testosterone levels (First of two parts) - May 9th, 2021 [May 8th, 2021]
- How long does it take for Testosterone replacement treatments and therapy to work? - November 27th, 2021 [May 1st, 2021]
- What Is Testosterone AndroGel - November 21st, 2021 [April 28th, 2021]
- Low T - My life was falling apart because I had low testosterone - November 20th, 2021 [April 25th, 2021]
- Deer Antler, HGH and Testosterone: Tim on Scott and BR Radio Show - Video - November 27th, 2021 [April 17th, 2021]
- What is Testosterone? What does Testosterone do? Find on - April 14th, 2021 [April 14th, 2021]
- How Testosterone Affects the Skin of Men - November 28th, 2021 [April 11th, 2021]
- Testosterone, the Power Hormone - November 23rd, 2021 [April 8th, 2021]
- Testosterone Levels and Wall Street - October 28th, 2021 [March 27th, 2021]
- Women can resist testosterone-fuelled political debate - March 13th, 2021 [March 12th, 2021]
- BUSTED: Myths About Testosterone And Its Link To Sexual Desire In Men And Women - November 4th, 2021 [March 11th, 2021]
- Attention Baby Boomers -- Could Testosterone be the Modern Day "Fountain of Youth?" - October 31st, 2022 [March 4th, 2021]
- Declining Testosterone Levels in Men Not Part of Normal Aging - October 18th, 2021 [February 28th, 2021]
- Quick Weight Loss Tips and Diet Recommendations for HRT - October 21st, 2021 [February 28th, 2021]
- Testosterone and Alcohol: Your Health and the Holiday Season - October 18th, 2021 [February 27th, 2021]
- Testosterone builds muscle but has risks - February 25th, 2021 [February 25th, 2021]
- New Study Finds That Testosterone Does Not Increase Cardiovascular Risk - November 21st, 2021 [February 22nd, 2021]
- Evidence Suggests Testosterone Plays Powerful Role in Motivating Revolutionary Change - October 20th, 2021 [February 15th, 2021]
- The Effects of Parenthood Upon Testosterone Levels - November 27th, 2021 [January 9th, 2021]
- Testicular Cancer Survivors are at Risk for Low Testosterone - November 21st, 2021 [January 6th, 2021]
- Amygdala and it's Relationship to Testosterone and Fear - November 5th, 2021 [December 25th, 2020]
- Testosterone Does Not Cause Atherosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries) in Older Men - November 3rd, 2021 [December 24th, 2020]
- Increased Testosterone DOES NOT Cause Prostate Cancer to Spread - October 19th, 2021 [December 23rd, 2020]
- Testosterone Cypionate and Testosterone Enanthate: The Real Facts - November 16th, 2021 [December 20th, 2020]
- A Surprising Side Effect of Methadone Treatment: Suppressed Testosterone - November 2nd, 2021 [December 18th, 2020]
- The Testosterone Industry Globally is Booming - November 12th, 2021 [December 12th, 2020]
- Five Benefits of Testosterone That You Need to Know - October 22nd, 2021 [December 11th, 2020]
- Testosterone Nasal Gel: A New Form of Testosterone Replacement Therapy - November 23rd, 2021 [December 5th, 2020]
- New Research Proves Testosterone Replacement Therapy is Safe for the Heart - October 31st, 2022 [December 3rd, 2020]
- Skinny Bartender with Low Testosterone Becomes a Ripped Bodybuilder - November 21st, 2021 [December 3rd, 2020]
- Low-T and Your Health - October 17th, 2021 [November 30th, 2020]
- Low Testosterone Levels may Affect Man's Sex Drive and Affect his Intimate Relationships - October 17th, 2021 [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 3rd, 2021 [November 12th, 2020]
- Shorter course of ADT for high-risk prostate cancer patients yields improved quality of life - November 11th, 2020 [November 11th, 2020]
- Testosterone Litigation: What You Need To Know - MTMP - Video - October 21st, 2021 [November 9th, 2020]
- Methadone Lowers Testosterone in Men Only - November 9th, 2020 [November 8th, 2020]
- Should middle-aged men consider 'low T' treatment? - November 6th, 2020 [November 5th, 2020]
- Testosterone and Crime: What Can Genes Tell Us About Behavior? - Video - October 25th, 2020 [October 25th, 2020]
- Testosterone shown to help sexually frustrated women - November 28th, 2021 [October 22nd, 2020]
- Testosterone levels seen prior to birth in fetus' fingers, jawline - November 18th, 2021 [October 20th, 2020]
- Tri-Blend Testosterone. Understanding the Benefits of Testosterone Oils - November 9th, 2021 [October 19th, 2020]
- Testosterone levels in older men - November 23rd, 2021 [October 17th, 2020]
- Tlando Testosterone Clinical Trial for Low-T and Fatty Liver Disease - October 29th, 2021 [October 4th, 2020]
- Testosterone Focus in Diabetes Study – Video - September 30th, 2020 [September 30th, 2020]
- Testshock Review All Natural Testosterone Enhancement – Video - September 30th, 2020 [September 30th, 2020]
- Testosterone, Anxiety, and Depression - November 19th, 2021 [September 30th, 2020]
- Average Testosterone Levels Decreasing Over Time Among Younger American Men - November 4th, 2021 [August 21st, 2020]
- Testosterone Creams for Low Testosterone Treatment and Andropause - November 14th, 2021 [August 10th, 2020]
- Testosterone Therapy and Androgen Deficiency Guide - November 29th, 2021 [August 6th, 2020]
- Testosterone's Surprising Link to Men's 'Love Hormone' Oxytocin - October 31st, 2022 [August 5th, 2020]
- Fortesta Brand Testosterone Therapy - November 28th, 2021 [August 3rd, 2020]
- Andropause: Age-Associated Testosterone Decline - October 26th, 2021 [August 1st, 2020]
- How to Build Muscle Quickly by Boosting Testosterone Levels - November 5th, 2021 [July 29th, 2020]
- Testosterone Deficiency Strongly Linked to Heart Attack Risk in New Study - October 16th, 2021 [July 26th, 2020]
- Seven Types of Drugs That Can Inhibit Sex Drive and Libido - October 23rd, 2021 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Testosterone and Geriatric Frailty - October 20th, 2021 [July 21st, 2020]
- Testosterone and Aggression: How T-Levels Impact Human Response to External, Social Threats - November 14th, 2021 [July 12th, 2020]
- High-Dose Testosterone Injections May Be a Viable Palliative Late-Stage Prostate Cancer Treatment - November 10th, 2021 [July 12th, 2020]
- Could Civilization Have Been Formed as a Result of Declining Testosterone Levels in Males? - November 4th, 2021 [July 6th, 2020]
- Testosterone Therapy Allows Man to Have the Body That He Was Meant to Have - November 11th, 2021 [July 5th, 2020]
- Testosterone Injections for Low-T and Andropause - November 5th, 2021 [July 4th, 2020]
- Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) Reduces the Risk of Serious Adverse Health Consequences! - November 9th, 2021 [June 30th, 2020]
- Testosterone not always to blame - Sat, 04 Aug 2012 PST - November 14th, 2021 [June 28th, 2020]
- Five Facts About Testosterone (That Maybe You Didn't Know) - November 20th, 2021 [June 27th, 2020]
- Manhood Washed Away: You Could Unknowingly be Annihilating Your Testosterone - November 28th, 2021 [June 23rd, 2020]
- Testosterone: Should You Take it to Regain Your Libido and Youthful Energy? - November 18th, 2021 [June 22nd, 2020]
- Testosterone Replacement Therapy Boosts Aerobic Capacity - November 19th, 2021 [June 15th, 2020]
- Physiology of Testosterone - November 12th, 2021 [June 9th, 2020]
- The Truth Behind Common Male Sex Myths - November 19th, 2021 [May 26th, 2020]
Word Count: 469