Not giving up: Testosterone promotes persistence against a stronger opponent

Area of Science:

• Psychoneuroendocrinology
• Social Neuroscience
• Behavioral Endocrinology

Background:

• Lack of perceived control can lead to motivational failures and quitting in competitions.
• Testosterone is hypothesized to enhance competitiveness and persistence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interaction between perceived control and testosterone administration on competitive persistence.
• To determine if testosterone can counteract the negative effects of low perceived control on persistence in human competition.

Main Methods:

• Healthy male participants received either testosterone or a placebo.
• Perceived control was experimentally manipulated (low vs. high).
• Participants engaged in a costly competition against a progressively stronger opponent, with the option to quit.

Main Results:

• In the placebo group, low perceived control led to quitting twice as early compared to high perceived control.
• Testosterone administration abolished the negative effect of low perceived control on persistence.
• Testosterone enhanced persistence even when participants were aware of the opponent's advantage.

Conclusions:

• Testosterone causally promotes competitive persistence in humans.
• The effect of testosterone on persistence is dependent on the psychological state of perceived control prior to competition.
• This study expands understanding of testosterone's role in social behavior and competition.