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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
Published on: March 2, 2011
The role of testosterone in social interaction
Christoph Eisenegger1, Johannes Haushofer, Ernst Fehr
1Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Experimental Psychology, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
Abstract:
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.
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