Winning isn't everything: mood and testosterone regulate the cortisol response in competition

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Neuroscience
• Psychology

Background:

• Dominance contests are common stressors in mammals, impacting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
• Previous studies on cortisol levels during social defeat show inconsistent results, suggesting individual differences mediate stress responses.
• Baseline testosterone may serve as a marker for individual differences in dominance and influence endocrine responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how mood states (self-assurance, hostility) interact with baseline testosterone to modulate cortisol reactivity to dominance cues.
• To examine the influence of winning or losing a social contest on these interactions.
• To explore the interplay between biological predispositions and psychological states in HPA axis regulation.

Main Methods:

• Seventy healthy male university students participated in a rigged computer-based dominance competition.
• Saliva samples were collected pre- and post-competition to measure cortisol levels.
• Mood states were assessed using the PANAS-X psychometric instrument post-competition.

Main Results:

• Among winners, high baseline testosterone and self-assurance were associated with lower post-competition cortisol.
• In losers, a significant negative relationship was observed between baseline testosterone and post-competition cortisol.
• No significant interaction between testosterone and hostility was found in losers.

Conclusions:

• Findings support the hypothesis that biological predispositions (baseline testosterone) and psychological states (mood) interact in regulating HPA axis activation after social contests.
• Mood states like self-assurance may buffer stress responses in individuals with higher testosterone levels.
• Baseline testosterone appears to play a role in modulating cortisol responses to social defeat, particularly in losers.