title: Illuminating the dual-hormone hypothesis: About chronic dominance and the interaction of cortisol and testosterone.
abstract: The dual-hormone hypothesis suggests that testosterone is positively associated with status-seeking tendencies such as aggression and dominance, particularly in individuals with low levels of cortisol. Although recent research supports the dual-hormone hypothesis, its boundary conditions under which the dual-hormone interaction is likely to emerge are not clearly understood. In the present study (N = 153), the dual-hormone hypothesis was empirically tested in the context of an economic game that included a decision whether to dominate another individual. We also examined whether the dual-hormone interaction is more likely to be found in individuals who are chronically prone to dominance tendencies. Results revealed a significant testosterone × cortisol interaction in line with the dual-hormone hypothesis. Additionally, the testosterone × cortisol interaction was only significant in individuals with a high level of chronic dominance. Overall, the present work suggests that chronic personality tendencies should be taken into account in order to explore (the boundary conditions) of hormone-behavior associations. Aggr. Behav. 43:85-92, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Ulm University, Abteilung Sozialpsychologie, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pfattheicher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D012930:Social Dominance; D013739:Testosterone / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: cortisol; dominance; dual-hormone hypothesis; personality; testosterone