title: Social neuroendocrinology of human aggression: examining the role of competition-induced testosterone dynamics.
abstract: A large body of evidence indicates that individual differences in baseline concentrations of testosterone (T) are only weakly correlated with human aggression. Importantly, T concentrations are not static, but rather fluctuate rapidly in the context of competitive interactions, suggesting that acute fluctuations in T may be more relevant for our understanding of the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying variability in human aggression. In this paper, we provide an overview of the literature on T and human competition, with a primary focus on the role of competition-induced T dynamics in the modulation of human aggression. In addition, we discuss potential neural mechanisms underlying the effect of T dynamics on human aggression. Finally, we highlight several challenges for the field of social neuroendocrinology and discuss areas of research that may enhance our understanding of the complex bi-directional relationship between T and human social behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, Canada. Electronic address: justinca@nipissingu.ca.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Carré
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Olmstead
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone
keywords: aggression; competition; social neuroendocrinology; testosterone