Preliminary evidence that testosterone's association with aggression depends on self-construal.
A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. Previous research and theory suggest testosterone is an important hormone for modulating aggression and self-regulation. We propose that self-construal, a culturally-relevant difference in how individuals define the self in relation to others, may be an important moderator of the relationship between testosterone and behaviors linked to aggression. Within two studies (Study 1 N=80; Study 2 N=237) and an integrated data analysis, we find evidence suggesting that acute testosterone changes in men are positively associated with aggressive behavior for those with more independent self-construals, whereas basal testosterone is negatively associated with aggression when individuals have more interdependent self-construals. Although preliminary, these findings suggest that self-construal moderates the association between testosterone and aggression, thereby paving the way toward future work examining the potential cultural moderation of the behavioral effects of testosterone.
University of Massachusetts Boston, United States. Electronic address: Keith.Welker@umb.edu.
Keith M
KM
Welker
Nipissing University, Canada.
Rachel E
RE
Norman
Wayne State University, United States.
Stefan
S
Goetz
Nipissing University, Canada.
Benjamin J P
BJP
Moreau
University of Michigan, United States.
Shinobu
S
Kitayama
Nipissing University, Canada.
Justin M
JM
Carré
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis*; D018910:Video Games; D055815:Young Adult
D013739:Testosterone
Aggression; Culture; Individual differences; Self-construal; Testosterone