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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Published on: March 2, 2011

Single-dose testosterone administration increases men's preference for status goods.

G Nave¹, A Nadler², D Dubois³

¹Marketing Department, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, 3730 Walnut St., JMHH #700, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. gnave@wharton.upenn.edu.

Nature Communications

|July 5, 2018

Summary

Testosterone administration causally increases men's preference for status brands and positional goods. This biological insight bridges animal behavior studies with consumer research on status-seeking.

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Area of Science:

Behavioral endocrinology
Consumer psychology
Evolutionary psychology

Background:

Social hierarchies are common in human societies, with individuals often signaling status through consumption of positional goods.
Previous research suggests a link between the sex steroid hormone testosterone and hierarchical social interactions in both animals and humans.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the causal influence of testosterone on men's preferences for positional goods.
To explore how testosterone affects the desire for status brands versus high-quality or power-enhancing products.

Main Methods:

A placebo-controlled experiment was conducted with 243 men.
Participants' preferences for status brands and positional goods were measured after administering testosterone or a placebo.

Main Results:

Testosterone administration significantly increased men's preference for status brands over equally perceived quality brands.
Testosterone enhanced positive attitudes towards goods described as status-enhancing, but not those described as power-enhancing or high-quality.

Conclusions:

This study provides novel causal evidence for the biological underpinnings of men's status-seeking behavior.
The findings connect animal behavioral research on testosterone and hierarchy with modern consumer behavior studies.