Plasma Testosterone and Aggressive Behavior

Rada, Richard T.; Kellner, Robert; Winslow, Walter W.

doi:10.1016/s0033-3182(76)71132-0

Cited by 48 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Our findings on the relation of "aggressive dominance" with hormones partially support early animal and human investigations that reported a positive relation between testosterone and aggression and/or dominance (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30). It appears that about 3% of the variance in the biologically active testosterone (or that which can rapidly dissociate from the albumin to enter tissues) and weaker androgens may be attributable to levels of aggressive dominance.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Even though some may consider this correlation small, we believe it may be significant in practical terms. Lower hormone levels are related to lower incidences of aggression and violence (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28), and it is possible that even a small change in these acts that may result from a change in hormone levels will have serious consequences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies have reported a positive relation of testosterone with some measures of aggression and violence (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28) and dominance (19,25,(29)(30), although the same and other studies have failed to demonstrate these relations with similar or related measures of aggression and dominance (18,19,(31)(32)(33)(34)(35). One study (36) even found a negative relation between testosterone and hostility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The relation between dominance, anger, and hormones in normally aging men: results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study.

Gray

Jackson

McKinlay

1991

Psychosomatic Medicine

107

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This paper examines the relation of two personality characteristics (dominance and anger) to hormones in normally aging men. The relation of the Jackson Personality Research Form E Dominance subscale and the Spielberger Anger Expression scale to serum levels of 17 endocrine variables, including testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), cortisol, and prolactin, was examined in 1709 men aged 39 to 70 years randomly sampled from the Boston Metropolitan Statistical Area. Canonical correlation analysis resulted in the identification of a personality profile characterized as dominant with some aggressive behavior that tends to correlate with a hormonal pattern labeled the "availability of androgens." These results partially support previous findings in animals, adolescents, and criminal populations that "aggressive dominance" is related to testosterone.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The relation between dominance, anger, and hormones in normally aging men: results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study.

Gray

Jackson

McKinlay

1991

Psychosomatic Medicine

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Eastern common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii: Muller and Wrangham 2004; Rhesus monkey, Macaca mulatta: Rose, Holaday, and Bernstein 1971). Similar correlational effects between testosterone and dominance have been documented among a range of other species including birds (Harding 1983), and hamsters, dogs and deer (Rada, Kellner, and Winslow 1976). Work which has experimentally manipulated testosterone, and subsequently measured shifts in dominance, appears to confirm these associations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Self-reported Dominance in Women: Associations with Hormonal Contraceptive use, Relationship Status, and Testosterone

Cobey

Nicholls

Leongoméz

et al. 2015

Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology

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How to achieve dominance in a group is a recurrent challenge for individuals of many species, including humans. Previous research indicates that both relationship status and contraceptive use appear to moderate women's testosterone levels. If testosterone contributes to dominance, this raises the possibility for group differences in dominance between single and partnered women, and between users and non-users of hormonal contraception. Here, we examine associations between relationship status and use/non-use of hormonal contraception and women's self-reported social dominance. In a sample of 84 women, we replicate previous research documenting a significant positive correlation between women's saliva testosterone levels and their selfreported dominance. Consistent with other literature, we also find that women using hormonal contraception have significantly lower testosterone than those who are regularly cycling and that partnered women have significantly lower testosterone than single women. Although we do not find a main effect of either relationship status or hormonal contraceptive use status on women's reported levels of dominance, the interaction between these variables predicted reported dominance scores. This interaction remained significant when participant age and testosterone values were added to the model as covariates. We discuss these results in the context of the existing literature on testosterone and women's dominance behaviour and with respect to the evolutionary benefits of social dominance in women.

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“…Related to biomarkers of aggressive behavior, testosterone (T) seems to play an important role in aggression, given that effects of T on gender and age differences in aggression have been suggested (Rada, Kellner, & Winslow, 1976;Van Goozen, 2005). In addition to T, neurochemical systems, especially serotonergic and dopaminergic systems, are commonly associated with aggressive behavior (de Almeida, Ferrari, Parmigiani, & Miczek, 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggression is suppressed by acute stress but induced by chronic stress: Immobilization effects on aggression, hormones, and cortical 5-HT1B/ striatal dopamine D2 receptor density

Yohe

Suzuki²,

Lucas

2012

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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Although it has been established by a number of investigators that a variety of stressors are associated with the induction of aggressive behavior, two specific issues remain unanswered. First, it is unclear whether the contexts surrounding stressors (e.g., stressor length and chance of winning over opponents) change outcomes regarding aggressive behavior. Second, if a relationship exists between stress and aggressive behavior, altered levels of stressrelated hormone (e.g., corticosterone [CORT]), as well as aggression-related biomarkers (e.g., testosterone [T], density of prefronto-cortical 5-HT 1B receptor and striatal dopamine D 2 receptor [D2r]) may contribute to changes in aggressive behavior. Thus, we examined how immobilization (with a 1-, 5-, or 10-day exposure) would impact (1) a longitudinal course of aggression toward different-sized opponents, (2) levels of CORT and T, and (3) densities of 5-HT 1B receptor (5-HT1Br) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and D2r in the striatum. It was found that, regardless of small or large opponents, a single 2-h exposure to immobilization reduced aggressive behavior (stress-suppressed aggression) over time, whereas repeated (10-day) exposure to immobilization escalated aggressive behavior (stress-induced aggression). These stress effects persisted up to 1 week of recovery from immobilization stress. Moreover, immobilized rats demonstrated elevated levels of T, but not CORT, as compared with controls. Finally, acute immobilization altered D2r densities in the shell of the nucleus accumbens, and chronic immobilization changed 5-HT1Br in the PFC, including the downregulation of 5-HT1Br densities in the right prelimbic and orbitolateral cortices. The potential relationships among stress, aggression, and 5-HT1Br/D2r roles are discussed.

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Plasma Testosterone and Aggressive Behavior

Cited by 48 publications

References 46 publications

The relation between dominance, anger, and hormones in normally aging men: results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study.

The relation between dominance, anger, and hormones in normally aging men: results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study.

Self-reported Dominance in Women: Associations with Hormonal Contraceptive use, Relationship Status, and Testosterone

Aggression is suppressed by acute stress but induced by chronic stress: Immobilization effects on aggression, hormones, and cortical 5-HT1B/ striatal dopamine D2 receptor density

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