Hormonal changes after competition predict sex‐differentiated decision‐making

Alacreu‐Crespo, Adrián; Costa, Raquel; Abad‐Tortosa, Diana; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Salvador, Alicia; Rosa, Miguel Ángel Serrano

doi:10.1002/bdm.2128

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Women trusted less due to a higher sensitivity for social risk, supporting the assumption that gender norms for women and men are acquired through socialization "evolved" from a female biological imperative to avoid social risk and betrayal in relationships and the male motivation to maximize resources. These results are consistent with recent evidence showing that hormonal changes after competition predict sex-differentiated decisionmaking, i.e., women make more conservative decisions and men more riskier decisions after experiencing a competitive social context (Alacreu-Crespo et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Neural Signatures of Gender Differences in Interpersonal Trust

Hall

Siehl

et al. 2020

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Trust plays a critical role in nearly every aspect of social life. Parental investment theory and social role theory predict that women trust less than men due to a higher sensitivity to risk and betrayal, while men trust more than women to maximize resources and to signal their willingness to lose something. However, the underlying neuropsychological underpinnings for this gender difference are still obscure. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural signatures of gender differences in trust by simultaneously scanning 11 male and 11 female samegender, fixed dyads who played a multi-round binary trust game with varying levels of payoff (low/moderate/high) as an indicator of social risk. Our results showed that men trusted more than women and payoff level moderated the effect of gender on trust. While men trusted the same at all payoff levels, women trusted less with higher payoff levels. This pattern was supported by our neuroimaging finding: men showed a higher activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex) and right precuneus than women, indicating that men exert more effort to inhibit the information of payoff levels and to use self-referencing to infer the strategies of partners with the goal of maximizing profit. Furthermore, men showed equivalent activation in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex across payoff levels, whereas women showed a decreased activation with increasing payoff level-indicating decreased group bonding with higher risk in women. In conclusion, our results imply that women are more sensitive to social risk while trusting, which has implications for financial interactions, interpersonal relationships, and social involvement.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Neural Signatures of Gender Differences in Interpersonal Trust

Hall

Siehl

et al. 2020

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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“…The results lend support to cortisol’s and testosterone’s joint effects on male risk-taking ( Mehta and Josephs, 2010 ; Knight et al, 2019 ). The results align with observations where stress and sex hormones accounted for male IGT decision-making in the risk phase ( Alacreu-Crespo et al, 2019 ). Cortisol regulation improves cognitive control ( Evans et al, 2012 ); possibly, it might have inhibited testosterone’s effect and promoted long-term decision-making in the risk phase.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Role of Cortisol and Testosterone in Risky Decision-Making: Deciphering Male Decision-Making in the Iowa Gambling Task

Singh

2021

Front. Neurosci.

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Despite the widely observed high risk-taking behaviors in males, studies using the Iowa gambling task (IGT) have suggested that males choose safe long-term rewards over risky short-term rewards. The role of sex and stress hormones in male decision-making is examined in the initial uncertainty and the latter risk phase of the IGT. The task was tested at peak hormone activity, with breath counting to facilitate cortisol regulation and its cognitive benefits. Results from IGT decision-making before and after counting with saliva samples from two all-male groups (breath vs. number counting) indicated that cortisol declined independent of counting. IGT decision-making showed phase-specific malleability: alteration in the uncertainty phase and stability in the risk phase. Working memory showed alteration, whereas inhibition task performance remained stable, potentially aligning with the phase-specific demands of working memory and inhibition. The results of hierarchical regression for the uncertainty and risk trials indicated that testosterone improved the model fit, cortisol was detrimental for decision-making in uncertainty, and decision-making in the risk trials was benefitted by testosterone. Cortisol regulation accentuated hormones’ phase-specific effects on decision-making. Aligned with the dual-hormone hypothesis, sex, and stress hormones might jointly regulate male long-term decision-making in the IGT.

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“…For the behavioral data, we calculated: (a) the total amount of money gained over the course of the IGT and (b) the IG index using this formula [(C + D) − (A + B)], where the number of cards from disadvantageous decks is subtracted from the number of cards selected from the advantageous decks. An IG index above zero implies a predominance of advantageous decks, which reflects good performance, whereas negative values are related to the selection of disadvantageous decks, reflecting poor performance (see Alacreu‐Crespo et al., 2019). In order to investigate gender differences in the total amount of money and the IG index in each block of the IGT, we used mixed ANOVA with block (1, 2, and 3) as the within‐subject factor and gender (men vs. women) as the between‐subject factor.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, our group found gender‐related differences on the IGT after competition. In particular, men in the competition and control groups who had higher cortisol and testosterone changes showed more risk‐taking decision making, whereas women who had high cortisol and testosterone showed conservative decision making only in the competition group (Alacreu‐Crespo et al., 2019). These decision‐making results can contribute to explaining why men and women use different strategies on the same decision‐making task, such as the IGT.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

FRN and P3 during the Iowa gambling task: The importance of gender

et al. 2020

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Previous research has shown gender‐related psychobiological differences in risky and competitive strategies that affect win and loss outcomes. In addition, some studies have found differences in the decision‐making process, with women taking longer to reach the same performance as men. However, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate gender differences in behavioral performance and neural correlates during a decision‐making task, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Forty healthy young adults (23 men and 17 women) performed the IGT while the feedback‐related negativity (FRN) and P3 were recorded as neural correlates of feedback processing. No gender differences were observed in the behavioral performance on the IGT after 100 and 150 trials, or in the P3 component. In women, but not in men, the FRN component showed a greater amplitude for losses than for wins. There were no significant gender‐related differences in behavioral performance, and men and women revealed a similar learning process on the IGT. At the neural level, no direct differences between men and women were observed in the feedback processing stage for the FRN or P3. However, our results indicate that women showed greater sensitivity to losses than to wins during the decision‐making task, as reflected in the FRN component.

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Hormonal changes after competition predict sex‐differentiated decision‐making

Cited by 7 publications

References 69 publications

Neural Signatures of Gender Differences in Interpersonal Trust

Neural Signatures of Gender Differences in Interpersonal Trust

Role of Cortisol and Testosterone in Risky Decision-Making: Deciphering Male Decision-Making in the Iowa Gambling Task

FRN and P3 during the Iowa gambling task: The importance of gender

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