Testosterone, cognition, and social status

Newman, Matthew L.; Sellers, Jennifer Guinn; Josephs, Robert

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.09.008

Cited by 101 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Second, status and hierarchical stability interactively influenced testosterone reactivity, which negatively predicted interview performance. This biological pathway extends prior research, in which higher basal testosterone levels were related to status-seeking motivation and impaired cognitive performance under conditions of experimentally induced status threat (e.g., defeat in competition) (26)(27)(28). Elevated testosterone reactivity in the present study may have led individuals to focus on their threatened status, rather than the speech task at hand, disrupting cognitive functioning when delivering the speech, and undermining performance evaluations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Prior research on acute cortisol responses and performance outcomes in stressful contexts has yielded mixed results (e.g., decision making performance) (23)(24)(25), but the consequences of acute testosterone responses for performance under social-evaluative stress have been largely overlooked. There is indirect evidence that elevated basal testosterone concentrations in status-threatening situations (e.g., losing a competition) predicts hypervigilance to status cues and impaired cognitive performance (26)(27)(28). Extending this prior research to the present study, we explored whether acute cortisol or testosterone responses to the stressor explained the effects of status and hierarchy instability on social-evaluative performance.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 86%

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Hierarchy stability moderates the effect of status on stress and performance in humans

Knight

Mehta

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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High social status reduces stress responses in numerous species, but the stress-buffering effect of status may dissipate or even reverse during times of hierarchical instability. In an experimental test of this hypothesis, 118 participants (57.3% female) were randomly assigned to a high-or low-status position in a stable or unstable hierarchy and were then exposed to a social-evaluative stressor (a mock job interview). High status in a stable hierarchy buffered stress responses and improved interview performance, but high status in an unstable hierarchy boosted stress responses and did not lead to better performance. This general pattern of effects was observed across endocrine (cortisol and testosterone), psychological (feeling in control), and behavioral (competence, dominance, and warmth) responses to the stressor. The joint influence of status and hierarchy stability on interview performance was explained by feelings of control and testosterone reactivity. Greater feelings of control predicted enhanced interview performance, whereas increased testosterone reactivity predicted worse performance. These results provide direct causal evidence that high status confers adaptive benefits for stress reduction and performance only when the social hierarchy is stable. When the hierarchy is unstable, high status actually exacerbates stress responses.status | stress | performance | testosterone | cortisol

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 86%

Hierarchy stability moderates the effect of status on stress and performance in humans

Knight

Mehta

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…18) and women (44)(45)(46)(47). This research adds to the growing evidence that testosterone plays an important role in female social behavior (48)(49)(50)(51). In sum, the relation between testosterone and social behavior apparently has much communality in human males and females.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…Salivary sampling was chosen to obtain baseline testosterone levels. Salivary testosterone has proven to be a reliable noninvasive biomarker in the social (42, 44,46,49,51) and clinical sciences (36,53), and has also been successfully applied in economic research (10,54). Salivary sampling avoids possible confounding influences induced by (anticipation of) blood sampling procedures, which in humans are known to induce substantial stress, and increases in stress hormones such as cortisol (55).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testosterone decreases trust in socially naïve humans

Bos

Terburg

Honk

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

177

132

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Trust plays an important role in the formation and maintenance of human social relationships. But trusting others is associated with a cost, given the prevalence of cheaters and deceivers in human society. Recent research has shown that the peptide hormone oxytocin increases trust in humans. However, oxytocin also makes individuals susceptible to betrayal, because under influence of oxytocin, subjects perseverate in giving trust to others they know are untrustworthy. Testosterone, a steroid hormone associated with competition and dominance, is often viewed as an inhibitor of sociality, and may have antagonistic properties with oxytocin. The following experiment tests this possibility in a placebo-controlled, within-subjects design involving the administration of testosterone to 24 female subjects. We show that compared with the placebo, testosterone significantly decreases interpersonal trust, and, as further analyses established, this effect is determined by those who give trust easily. We suggest that testosterone adaptively increases social vigilance in these trusting individuals to better prepare them for competition over status and valued resources. In conclusion, our data provide unique insights into the hormonal regulation of human sociality by showing that testosterone downregulates interpersonal trust in an adaptive manner.

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“…This will compound existing medical care costs, but managed care entities will need to foresee the future medical and monetary benefits of androgen therapy. Testosterone replacement is medical therapy, but may also be classified in the future as preventive therapy, by delaying the incidence of osteoporosis and possible fractures, improving/maintaining muscle mass and strength [34,95,96] and sharpening cognition [48,97]. However, it may be some time before sufficient studies determine that TRT may indeed be a preventive rather than a medical therapy.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Therapeutic Dilemmas for Androgen Deficiency in Aging Males

Salazar¹,

Tan

2005

Aging Health

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Androgen decline with aging typically occurs after 50 years, although the fall in testosterone levels can begin as early as 30 years of age. The patient may or may not be symptomatic. Symptoms can range from fatigue to sexual dysfunction. Long-term effects of lowered testosterone can be seen in organ systems including the brain, muscle, adipose tissue, hair, bone, and the cardiovascular system. There is no consensus for androgen replacement as prevention, but there is consensus in the treatment and reversal of symptoms associated with hypogonadism. However, treatment must be carefully monitored. While there are significant benefits in the improvement of symptoms, there are also possible side effects that will be discussed in detail in this article. A careful risk–benefit analysis has to be carried out and treatment must be individualized.

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Testosterone, cognition, and social status

Cited by 101 publications

References 32 publications

Hierarchy stability moderates the effect of status on stress and performance in humans

Hierarchy stability moderates the effect of status on stress and performance in humans

Testosterone decreases trust in socially naïve humans

Therapeutic Dilemmas for Androgen Deficiency in Aging Males

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