Testosterone It is the hormone that promotes the formation of sexual characteristics, increases libido, and builds muscle. Women also have this sex hormone but to a much lesser degree. Testosterone has also been said to promote aggressive behavior.
A study has just shown that this sex hormone also surprisingly encourages social behavior. In gambling situations, subjects who received testosterone lied less frequently than people who had received only a placebo. The difference was very significant.
The study.
The scientists recruited a total of 91 healthy men for a behavioral experiment. 46 men in this group were given a gel on the skin that contained testosterone. The other 45 men also had a gel applied but without testosterone.
The next day, endocrinologists at Bonn University hospitals checked whether blood testosterone levels were higher among subjects who had received the hormone gel. Neither the subjects themselves nor the scientists who conducted the study knew who had received testosterone.
Dice games with the option to cheat
A simple game of dice was played in separate booths. The higher the score obtained by the dice, the greater the amount of money they received as a reward.
This experiment was designed in such a way that subjects had the free option to lie.
Due to the separation of the booths, it was not known if the scores that the subjects said were real or higher in order to get more money. However, the scientists were later able to determine whether or not the test subjects had told the truth based on statistical probabilities. Yes, there was high score outliers it was a clear indication that the subject had cheated.
Subjects with higher testosterone levels lied less
The researchers compared the results between the group that had received testosterone and the control group. Subjects with the highest testosterone levels had clearly lied less frequently than subjects who had received the gel without testosterone.
The researchers concluded that The hormone is likely to increase pride and the urge to develop a positive self-image. In this context, a few euros are obviously not a sufficient incentive to jeopardize one's sense of self-esteem.