liveonearth | Testosterone Makes Naive Young Women More Shrewd (Reply)

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HEADLINES
Link Between Trust and Testosterone?
Does a Dose of Testosterone Make Trusting Women More Skeptical?
Testosterone makes trusting women less naive

STUDY
new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
lead researcher: Jack van Honk of the Netherlands
study authors from Utrecht University and the University of Cape Town
n = 24 women, average age: 20 years
showed photos of 150 strangers’ faces to the women
asked them to rate the faces for trustworthiness using a scale from -100 to +100
placebo given as baseline
repeat trustworthiness questioning after being given either placebo or testosterone

OUTCOMES
women not so easily taken in by a stranger’s face after receiving a dose of the hormone
the most trusting ("socially naive") women become less trusting when given testosterone
less trusting by 10 points on their scale
skepticism effect showed up only in the most trusting women
women who scored least trusting after the placebo test stayed the same

MENTIONED EFFECTS OF T
normally linked to competition and dominance
social advantages
influences human behavior
aggression
motivation to raise their status in the social hierarchy/become more socially dominant
boost social watchfulness
increased social vigilance
increased shrewdness
previous studies have shown high T individuals make above average profits in stock market
more vigilant and better prepared for competition over rank and resources
may balance out effects of oxytocin: “love hormone,” which incr trust, cuddling
"in humans the hormone seems to motivate for rational decision-making, social scrutiny, and cleverness, the apparent tools for success in a modern society," Jack van Honk and colleagues explain.

Dr Daryl O'Connor
health psychologist from the University of Leeds
says these findings are broadly consistent with previous research
testosterone injections in men influenced aspects of their spatial and verbal abilities
"There is growing evidence to suggest that testosterone has activational as well as organisational effects in men and women."

SOURCES
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/25/tech/main6518561.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10156433.stm