An experimental study in China found that a single dose of testosterone gel in healthy men improved the speed at which they learned to perform a prosocial task compared to a group given a placebo. . This study biopsychology.
Testosterone is the main sex hormone in men. It is produced mainly in the testis, but also in the adrenal cortex. It plays an important role in the development of the male genitalia, but it also has many other effects on the body. lower. Testosterone plays an important role in regulating libido, but it can also cause hair loss later in life.
Studies have found that higher testosterone levels make animals more aggressive. The relationship between testosterone and aggression in humans is less clear. A meta-analysis of studies on humans reported a positive association between testosterone levels and aggression, but the association was less clear. The size is practically negligible.
Recent studies have also shown that testosterone can induce prosocial behavior. For example, they are more likely to offer fair deals or cooperate more with others in competition. proposed the so-called ‘social status hypothesis’, which suggests that it promotes appropriate behavior in the context.
Study author Xin Wang and his colleagues wanted to test the social status hypothesis on the effects of testosterone. They reasoned that, if this hypothesis were true, testosterone-fed participants would have enhanced learning rates on social status-enhancing tasks. Did.
Participants were 120 healthy men. Their average age was 21. They were instructed to abstain from alcohol, caffeine, and smoking starting 24 hours before his test session. They were randomly divided into two groups.
One group had testosterone gel applied to their shoulders and upper arms by an assistant at the beginning of the experiment. rice field. Neither the participants nor the assistant who applied the gel knew which gel they were applying.
Participants completed a series of prosocial learning tasks. In a range of these tasks, participants were asked to choose one of her two symbols. One of the symbols had a high reward probability and the other symbol had a low reward probability. Learning consisted of participants, through trial and error, recognizing which symbols were more frequently associated with rewards and beginning to like them.
There were three test situations. In the first one, participants were told to receive rewards for winning. In the second situation the reward is passed to another person, while in the third situation the reward is not passed to anyone (control).
The results showed that the group that took the testosterone gel learned faster in all three situations. Participants in the placebo group learned faster in situations in which they themselves expected to receive rewards compared to situations in which they did not earn rewards for others or for anyone. However, participants in the testosterone group learned just as quickly when they were earning rewards for themselves and when they were earning rewards for others.
In the testosterone group, situations in which no one was rewarded (rewarded to the computer) were compared to situations in which they were rewarded for themselves and those in which they were rewarded for others. I learned faster when I was In the placebo group, participants learned faster when they earned rewards for themselves compared to when they earned no rewards for anyone else. There was no difference in learning speed between receiving and receiving rewards.
“In summary, by using exogenous testosterone administration and a prosocial learning task, we found that testosterone can promote prosocial behavior when there is no conflict between self and other interests.” Testosterone also increases sensitivity to rewards, emphasizing the role of testosterone in reward processing and decision-making,” the study authors conclude.
This study provides a valuable contribution to scientific knowledge about the effects of testosterone on male behavior. Results for men of different ages may not be the same. Additionally, although researchers focused solely on testosterone, studies have shown that testosterone’s behavioral effects depend on its interaction with other hormones.
the study, “Can testosterone modulate prosocial learning in healthy men? A double-blind, placebo-controlled, testosterone-administered study.” was written by Xin Wang, Jiajun Liao, Yu Nan, Jie Hu, and Yin Wu.
