An exploratory analysis of testosterone, cortisol, and aggressive behavior type in men and women

Armstrong, Todd A.; Wells, Jessica; Boisvert, Danielle; Lewis, Richard H.; Cooke, Eric M.; Woeckener, Matthias; Kavish, Nicholas

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108073

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…Studies about these relationships are scarce in the field. However, there is evidence about the effect of testosterone on aggressive behavior in women [ 27 , 28 ] (for a negative effect, see [ 58 ]) and about the use of indirect forms of aggression to compete for status [ 18 ], justifying our expectations. This lack of relationships could arise for the same reasons in women as for men, evidencing the need to apply a more complex design including personality traits as mediators and experimental manipulations to investigate causal relationships between the use of aggression and changes in social status.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

The Relationship between Androgen Receptor Gene Polymorphism, Aggression and Social Status in Young Men and Women

Valenzuela

Ruiz-Pérez

Rodríguez-Sickert

et al. 2022

Behavioral Sciences

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In both sexes, aggression has been described as a critical trait to acquire social status. Still, almost uniquely in men, the link between aggressiveness and the genetic background of testosterone sensitivity measured from the polymorphism in the androgen receptor (AR) gene has been previously investigated. We assessed the relevance of the AR gene to understand aggression and how aggressiveness affects social status in a cross-sectional study of 195 participants, for the first time in both young men and women. We estimated polymorphism sequences from saliva and measured aggression and self-perceived social status. Unfortunately, the results did not support our prediction because we did not find any of the expected relationships. Therefore, the results suggest that the genetic association between aggressive mechanisms and polymorphism of the AR gene is less straightforward than expected, at least in men, and seems to indicate that aggression is not usually used to gain social status in our population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

The Relationship between Androgen Receptor Gene Polymorphism, Aggression and Social Status in Young Men and Women

Valenzuela

Ruiz-Pérez

Rodríguez-Sickert

et al. 2022

Behavioral Sciences

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“…Furthermore, when the results are broken down by sex, we observe an unequal response: whereas men experience an increase in non-ST-segment elevation ACS on match day (especially with a loss by the home team), women seem to have a lower cardiovascular risk on these days (thus leading us to consider soccer as a "cardioprotective factor" in women). One possible explanation is the difference in concentrations of testosterone and cortisol between the sexes and their possible influence on levels of hostility/anger [21][22][23], which, as commented on above, are associated with disease onset and cardiovascular mortality. Another factor potentially involved could be the burden of CVRFs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soccer and Risk of Cardiovascular Events

Puche

2022

Cardiol Res

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Background: Physical and emotional stress have been associated with an increased incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Sporting events such as soccer matches can cause spectators to experience cardiovascular events. The objective of the present study was to determine whether an association of this type existed during a Spanish league competition. Methods:We recorded data from patients who were admitted with ACS during 2018 -2020. Patients were divided into two groups: those who were admitted on the day the local team played and those who were admitted on nonmatch days. We determined various cardiovascular risk factors, including the degree of hostility and anxiety.Results: Away wins reduced the number of admissions with ACS by 30%, whereas a local loss increased hospitalizations by more than 30%. The profile of patient admitted on match days was a > 65 years old man, smoker (current or past), obese, with worse control of his hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, poor pharmacological adherence and high anxiety and hostility scores. Conclusions:A loss by the local team increases the number of admissions with ACS in males with a high burden of cardiovascular risk factors. Primary prevention measures should be taken to reduce the frequency of these events.

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“…This finding suggests that the combination of high T and C is associated with a stronger aggressive reaction to provocation. Interestingly, a recent study found that combinations of high T and high C or low T and low C were associated with aggressive reactive behavior in a sample of university students (Armstrong et al, 2021). Furthermore, the effect was only observed in the female subsample.…”

Section: The Role Of Cortisol In the Association Between Testosterone...mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…According to the DHH (Mehta & Josephs, 2010), it is the combination of high T and low C that is associated with aggressive behavior. However, as mentioned, some studies have found that other combinations of hormones, such as high levels of T and C or low levels of T and C, are associated with increased aggressive behavior (Armstrong et al, 2021;Denson et al, 2013;Susman et al, 2017). Moreover, in situations of provocation-reactive aggressive behaviors, which are characteristics of peer victimization, the combination of high T and low C does not seem to be linked to aggressive behavior (Armstrong et al, 2021;Geniole et al, 2011).…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 96%

“…For example, in a study on adults, a higher T/C ratio was associated with greater aggression against the partner, but this association was weaker under provoked conditions (Manigault et al, 2019). Moreover, some of the studies that found different T and C profiles associated with aggressive behavior focused on provocation-reactive aggressive behaviors (Armstrong et al, 2021;Geniole et al, 2011).…”

Section: Joint Role Of Testosterone and Cortisol In The Aggressive Re...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do testosterone and cortisol levels moderate aggressive responses to peer victimization in adolescents?

Calvete

Orue

2023

Dev Psychopathol

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Aggressive reactions to peer victimization may be tempered by hormone levels. Grounded on the dualhormone hypothesis (DHH), which proposes that testosterone (T) is associated with aggressive behavior only when cortisol (C) is low, this study assessed whether the combination of T and C moderated adolescents’ aggressive responses to peer victimization. The study involved 577 adolescents (50.4% girls, aged 12–17 years), who completed measures of online and offline victimization and perpetration of aggressive behavior in three waves over the course of one year. Moreover, they provided salivary samples to measure T and C levels. Multilevel analyses showed a three-way interaction between T, C, and victimization levels for both online and offline aggressive behaviors. In both cases, the adolescents with high T and high C or low T and low C responded with more aggressive behaviors when victimized or provoked by peers. The T/C ratio was only associated with aggressive behavior in the girls’ sample. The results are opposite to those predicted by the DHH, but they are consistent with the findings of other studies that examined aggressive behaviors as reactions to provocations. These results suggest that some combinations of T and C predict higher aggressive reactions to peer victimization.

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An exploratory analysis of testosterone, cortisol, and aggressive behavior type in men and women

Cited by 21 publications

References 97 publications

The Relationship between Androgen Receptor Gene Polymorphism, Aggression and Social Status in Young Men and Women

The Relationship between Androgen Receptor Gene Polymorphism, Aggression and Social Status in Young Men and Women

Soccer and Risk of Cardiovascular Events

Do testosterone and cortisol levels moderate aggressive responses to peer victimization in adolescents?

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