Attractive men induce testosterone and cortisol release in women

López, Hassan H.; Hay, Aleena C.; Conklin, Phoebe H.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.03.004

Cited by 88 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Apart from sexual social stimuli, which are reliable inductors of a testosterone response [28,29], social interactions outside a direct reproductive context have also been shown to induce a testosterone response [1]. In particular, testosterone levels rise within minutes in anticipation of both physical and non-physical competitive situations; for example, dyadic food competition in chimpanzees [30], or tennis, chess or domino tournaments in humans (reviewed in [31]).…”

Section: Social Modulation Of Testosteronementioning

confidence: 99%

The role of testosterone in social interaction

Eisenegger

Haushofer

Fehr

2011

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

542

427

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Although animal researchers established the role of testosterone as a 'social hormone' decades ago, the investigation of its causal influence on human social behaviors has only recently begun. Here, we review and discuss recent studies showing the causal effects of testosterone on social interactions in animals and humans, and outline the basic neurobiological mechanisms that might underlie these effects. Based on these recent findings, we argue that the role of testosterone in human social behavior might be best understood in terms of the search for, and maintenance of, social status. Testosterone in contextTestosterone is one of the major sex hormones produced by the body, occurring in both men and women. In men, it is mainly produced by the Leydig cells of the testes, whereas the ovaries and placenta produce it in women. The adrenal cortex also secretes it in both sexes [1]. Testosterone has a well-known and important role in the development of secondary sexual attributes; for example, increased muscle, bone mass and body hair in men. However, it is also of special interest in the study of socio-emotional and economic behavior because it influences the brain in archetypical situations, such as fight, flight, mating and the search and struggle for status [2].Three recent developments argue for a causal role of testosterone as a 'social' hormone. First, recent years have seen the advent of acute single-dose testosterone administration studies in humans. This methodological innovation is important because it enables the study of the effect of testosterone on complex social interactions between human subjects, rather than its impact on the more difficult to interpret behavioral repertoire of non-human animals. Moreover, testosterone administration studies can establish the causality of testosterone in facilitating particular motives and behaviors.Second, the advent of sophisticated behavioral paradigms allows for the study of social emotional processes, such as threat vigilance, and affiliative behaviors, such as facial mimicry, emotion inference and trust. These paradigms not only make it possible to assess whether the hormone plays a role in modulating behavior, but also add to the understanding of the motives that might underlie human interactions. Third, the integration of experimental economic paradigms into the study of hormonal effects on behavior provides an opportunity to identify the precise channels through which testosterone affects social interaction in a controlled laboratory environment.Together, these advances offer an exciting new opportunity to reassess the role of testosterone in driving behavior. Here, we summarize recent evidence using these approaches and argue that the role of testosterone in social interaction in humans might be best conceptualized as bringing motives for seeking social status to the fore. We also discuss the psychological and neurobiological channels that might underlie these effects.Animal models of the role of testosterone in social interactions Early evidence for the r...

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Section: Social Modulation Of Testosteronementioning

confidence: 99%

The role of testosterone in social interaction

Eisenegger

Haushofer

Fehr

2011

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

542

427

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“…pre-test cortisol, cortisol change). 15,22,26 The video treatment also lowered CMJ PP by 1.3% in men only, but the magnitude of change was smaller than the measurement error for this assessment.…”

Section: T (Pg/ml) Hgs (Kg) Cmj Pp (W) T (Pg/ml) Hgs (Kg) Cmj Pp (W) mentioning

confidence: 73%

“…violence, attractive men). 15,22 In fact, women can exhibit similar relative changes in T concentrations to men when exposed to a physical and/or psychological challenge. 15,23 This means that both sexes can access similar relative amounts of T with an appropriate stimulus, despite women having less than half the amount of T in circulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salivary testosterone responses to a physical and psychological stimulus and subsequent effects on physical performance in healthy adults

Crewther¹,

Kilduff²,

Finn³

et al. 2016

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OBJeCTIve: To address the rapid influence of testosterone (T) on neuromuscular performance, we compared the T and physical performance responses of adults exposed to a physical and psychological stimulus. DesIgN: A group of healthy men (n=12) and women (n=14) each completed three treatments using a randomised, crossover design: exercise involving five × ten-second cycle sprints, viewing a video clip with aggressive content and a control session. salivary T concentrations, hand-grip strength (hgs) and countermovement jump peak power (CMJ PP) were assessed before and 15 minutes after each session. ResULTs: The relative changes in T (17±29%) and CMJ PP (-0.1±4.4%) following sprint exercise were superior to the aggressive video (-6.3±19%, -2.2±5.9%) and control (-4.8±23%, -2.8±4.4%) treatments, respectively (p ≤0.05). Pre-treatment T levels correlated (r= -0.58 to -0.61, p <0.05) with the T responses of men (sprint exercise) and women (sprint exercise, aggressive video), but no variables were significantly correlated with the relative changes in hgs or CMJ PP. CONCLUsIONs: sprint exercise promoted a general rise in T and maintained CMJ PP, relative to the video and control treatments. In both sexes, those individuals with higher pre-test T levels tended to produce smaller T responses to one or more treatments. These data highlight the importance of stimulus selection and individual predispositions when attempting to acutely modify T and associated physical performance.

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Section: Dominance Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In another example, men's testosterone levels showed larger increases from baseline when they were exposed to a competitive (versus uncompetitive) male in the company of a highly fertile (versus less fertile) female (Fales et al 2014). In fact, even the mere presence of potential mates in a competitive setting can elicit testosterone increases in both men and women (López et al 2009;Roney et al 2007).Although increases in testosterone facilitate some competitive behaviors for mates in humans, it is important to note that, in most cases, testosterone increases do not facilitate the extreme levels of dominance and aggression observed in primates such as chimpanzees. For example, increases in testosterone in chimpanzees sometimes lead to exceedingly violent mate guarding behaviors such as territorial boundary patrols wherein males brutally attack and often kill neighboring males, especially if fertile females are residing within their own territory (Sobolewski et al 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Intimate Relationships Then and Now: How Old Hormonal Processes are Influenced by Our Modern Psychology

Wardecker

Smith

Edelstein

et al. 2015

Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology

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In this review we argue that relatively recent evolutionary adaptations that are relational or psychological in nature might refocus, dampen, or otherwise shape hormonal processes related to evolutionarily Bolder^behaviors. We focus on the steroid hormones testosterone and estradiol and discuss a) their associations with Bolder relational processes^such as mate competition, dominance and nurturance, and b) the ways in which Bnewer relational processes^such as commitment and attachment relate to these hormones in the context of intimate relationships. We propose that these new relational processes might influence hormones in a manner that enables short-term mating relationships to be transformed into long-term romantic pair-bonds that may be unique to humans.Keywords Mating . Pair-bonds . Testosterone . Estradiol . Evolution . Adaptations Most species, including humans, have evolved some repertoire of behaviors that facilitate short-term mating (i.e., uncommitted sexual relationships that last for a short period of time, Simpson and Gangestad 1991), such as attracting desirable mates, competing for the attention of those mates, and keeping others away from mates once they have been acquired (Gangestad and Simpson 2000). These evolutionarily Boldb ehaviors occur frequently, can be engaged with limited conscious effort (Miller 1998), and are important components of the relationship initiation process.Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology (2015) 1:150-176 DOI 10.1007/s40750-015-0021-9 Britney M. Wardecker and Leigh K. Smith are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work. Only a few species, however, have evolved behaviors designed to deliberately maintain long-term, sexually exclusive relationships. Fewer than 5 % of mammalian species establish long-term, monogamous pair-bonds with adult mating partners (Kleiman 1977). A pairbond can be defined as an enduring and close relationship between two adult members of a species that generally involves sexual activity, intimacy, the desire to be close to one another, and deep emotional investment (Hawkes 2004; van Anders et al. 2011). Among humans, the formation of these types of pair bonds is a meaningful priority. For example, forming intimate connections is reported as one of the most important human motives, sometimes even more so than is meeting basic physiological needs such as securing food and water (Kenrick et al. 2010). Indeed, there may be several benefits to successfully establishing a long-term pair-bond. Pair-bonded partners benefit from increased paternal investment, which in turn promotes offspring health (Barash 1977;Fisher 1998;Kenrick and Trost 1997). The formation of long-term pair-bonds may also decrease the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (Campbell and Loving, in press), and partners who are married or committed to long-term relationships tend to live longer than their unmarried and single counterparts (Drefahl 2012;Van Poppel and Joung 2001).Yet, transforming short-term mating relationships into long-term pair...

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Attractive men induce testosterone and cortisol release in women

Cited by 88 publications

References 46 publications

The role of testosterone in social interaction

The role of testosterone in social interaction

Salivary testosterone responses to a physical and psychological stimulus and subsequent effects on physical performance in healthy adults

Intimate Relationships Then and Now: How Old Hormonal Processes are Influenced by Our Modern Psychology

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