Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
11:51
Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
Published on: March 2, 2011
14.7K
Successful hunting increases testosterone and cortisol in a subsistence population
Benjamin C Trumble1, Eric A Smith, Kathleen A O'Connor
1Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research, University of California Santa Barbara, , Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3210, USA, Integrative Anthropological Sciences, Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, , Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3210, USA, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, , Seattle, WA, USA, Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, , Seattle, WA, USA, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, , Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|December 17, 2013
Summary
Male Tsimane hunters
Area of Science:
- Human evolutionary biology
- Behavioral ecology
- Neuroendocrinology
Background:
- The adaptive significance of male hunting in subsistence societies is debated, focusing on familial provisioning versus mate-quality signaling.
- Understanding the neuroendocrine underpinnings of hunting motivation offers insight into these evolutionary questions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the proximate and ultimate motivations behind male hunting behavior in Tsimane hunters from a neuroendocrine perspective.
- To examine the relationship between hormonal responses (testosterone, cortisol) and hunting success, kill size, and social audience.
Main Methods:
- Salivary testosterone and cortisol levels were measured in 31 Tsimane hunters (aged 18-82) before, during, and after hunting expeditions.
- Hormonal data were analyzed in relation to hunting outcomes, including kill success and the presence of a social audience.
Main Results:
- Testosterone and cortisol levels increased significantly in hunters at the time of a kill and upon returning home.
- Hormonal responses were not associated with the size of the animal killed or the presence of villagers upon return.
Conclusions:
- Findings support provisioning models of male hunting motivation, suggesting that the primary driver is not mate-quality signaling through 'showing off'.
- The results indicate that hunting success, rather than social display or resource acquisition size, elicits neuroendocrine responses in Tsimane hunters.
Related Concept Videos
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
17.2K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
17.2K
00:48Optimal Foraging
11.8K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
11.8K
01:26Testosterone: Functions and Regulation
3.4K
The intricate hormonal interplay essential for male reproductive health begins with the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) by the hypothalamus. This hormone prompts the pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). LH targets the Leydig cells in the testes, stimulating them to produce and release testosterone. In concert with testosterone, FSH acts on the Sertoli cells within the seminiferous tubules to facilitate the release of...
3.4K
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
14.4K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
14.4K
01:19Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology
24
Cortisol production is normally governed by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which maintains hormonal balance through tightly regulated feedback mechanisms. Disruption of this regulatory system is central to the development of Cushing syndrome, whether the excess cortisol originates from external medications or internal pathology. Persistent cortisol elevation alters metabolism, immune function, and endocrine signaling, producing the characteristic clinical features...
24
01:20Evolutionary Psychology
1.3K
Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the...
1.3K