The interaction of testosterone and cortisol is associated with attained status in male executives.

Sherman, Gary D.; Lerner, Jennifer S.; Josephs, Robert; Renshon, Jonathan; Gross, James J.

doi:10.1037/pspp0000063

Cited by 124 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 79 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…shown that cortisol and testosterone jointly interact to influence attained status in male executives (Sherman et al, 2016). In another study, Mehta and Josephs (2010) …”

Section: Interactions Within Biological Strandsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Biology and Management: A Review, Critique, and Research Agenda

Nofal¹,

Nicolaou²,

Symeonidou³

et al. 2017

Journal of Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article, we conduct a systematic review of the emerging literature on the biological perspective in management and investigate research spanning the areas of genetics, physiology, and neuroscience. We examine 291 papers published in 133 journals over an 85-year period as well as 10 conference/working papers and six books. On the basis of this analysis, we present an organizing framework of the area, explain the mechanisms through which biological factors relate to management, and discuss the implications of the biological perspective for the theory and the practice of management. Finally, we present an agenda highlighting avenues for future research in this field.

show abstract

“…shown that cortisol and testosterone jointly interact to influence attained status in male executives (Sherman et al, 2016). In another study, Mehta and Josephs (2010) …”

Section: Interactions Within Biological Strandsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Biology and Management: A Review, Critique, and Research Agenda

Nofal¹,

Nicolaou²,

Symeonidou³

et al. 2017

Journal of Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recently, a more nuanced perspective on the link between testosterone and status attainment in humans has begun to emerge. There is growing evidence that the HPG axis acts in concert with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis to regulate status attainment within groups (11,17). The HPA axis secretes the steroid hormone cortisol in response to stress and anxiety; thus interactions between the HPG and HPA axes can be observed by measuring testosterone and cortisol simultaneously.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, individuals high in testosterone and low in cortisol have a greater number of subordinates, a measure of attained status (17); are perceived as more dominant leaders (18); are more respected by their peers (19); are more popular within their social networks (20); and engage in more competitive behavior as well as risktaking (18,21), a behavioral strategy associated with the attainment of social status (22,23).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective hormonal profiles predict group performance

Akinola

Page‐Gould

Mehta

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Prior research has shown that an individual's hormonal profile can influence the individual's social standing within a group. We introduce a different construct-a collective hormonal profilewhich describes a group's hormonal make-up. We test whether a group's collective hormonal profile is related to its performance. Analysis of 370 individuals randomly assigned to work in 74 groups of three to six individuals revealed that group-level concentrations of testosterone and cortisol interact to predict a group's standing across groups. Groups with a collective hormonal profile characterized by high testosterone and low cortisol exhibited the highest performance. These collective hormonal level results remained reliable when controlling for personality traits and group-level variability in hormones. These findings support the hypothesis that groups with a biological propensity toward status pursuit (high testosterone) coupled with reduced stress-axis activity (low cortisol) engage in profit-maximizing decision-making. The current work extends the dual-hormone hypothesis to the collective level and provides a neurobiological perspective on the factors that determine who rises to the top across, not just within, social hierarchies.umans have always worked collaboratively in small groups to accomplish goals. In modern organizations, group work is increasing because of the growing competitive and technological demands placed on organizations and the belief that a greater variety of perspectives and approaches will lead to more innovative solutions (1-3). As a result, decades of research have focused on understanding the factors that can enhance group performance and allow some groups to outperform others. Not surprisingly, groups with structures, processes, and norms that facilitate collaboration and coordination tend to perform well (4, 5). Additionally, group composition can influence performance; groups composed of members that vary in diversity, skills, and intelligence outperform others when the appropriate structures, processes, and norms are in place (3,(6)(7)(8)(9)(10).Past research on the effects of group composition on performance has focused primarily on the demographic and psychological characteristics of group members without taking into consideration the biological make-up of groups. This omission is particularly surprising because there is evidence that hormonal profiles can influence performance among individuals within a group. Indeed, past research has found that a hormonal profile characterized by high testosterone and low cortisol predicts an individual's performance and status attainment (11). Just as individuals have a hormonal profile that affects their individual performance and social status, we suggest that groups likewise can be characterized by a particular hormonal profile-their collective hormonal profile-which will influence group performance. We define a collective hormonal profile as the hormonal make-up of a group of individuals. Here, we test the hypothesis that groups with a collective...

show abstract

“…Together this hormonal combination suggests power posing leaves a subject feeling dominant and powerful, while also less stressed. A potent hormonal interaction, greater testosterone and lower cortisol has been linked to hierarchical position and status for business executives, suggesting greater leadership potential (Sherman, Lerner, Josephs, Renshon, & Gross, 2016). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Posture and Social Problem Solving, Self-Esteem, and Optimism

Nielsen¹

2017

IJPS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

When feeling powerful humans and other animals display expansive postures, but can posing in expansive and powerful postures also generate empowerment? Researchers have studied the "power posing effect" the concept that powerful expansive postures generate empowerment, and found conflicting evidence. Some evidence of power posing's impact shows increased hormones and a variety of behaviors indicating greater confidence. Yet still others have found no effect on hormones or behaviors, and suggest the impact of power posing is overstated. The goal of this project was to replicate and extend previous knowledge and contribute to the debate as to the efficacy of power posing, specifically examining the impact on participants' self-reported social problem-solving efficacy, self-esteem, and optimism. 119 participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: high power pose, low power pose, or a control group with a puzzle solving task, and asked to complete self-report measures of optimism, self-esteem, and problem-solving self-efficacy. Current findings suggest expansive posture demonstrates no measurable impact on psychological attitudes, and contributes to recent literature contradicting the power posing effect. Research and practical implications are discussed.

show abstract

The interaction of testosterone and cortisol is associated with attained status in male executives.

Cited by 124 publications

References 79 publications

Biology and Management: A Review, Critique, and Research Agenda

Biology and Management: A Review, Critique, and Research Agenda

Collective hormonal profiles predict group performance

Posture and Social Problem Solving, Self-Esteem, and Optimism

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About