It all comes down to testosterone levels. Explanations.
- Testosterone is a male steroid hormone produced naturally in men and, to a lesser degree, in women.
- Its role is to induce the differentiation and development of male reproductive organs and reproductive function in humans.
According to a new study published in the British Journal of Psychology, young men with high testosterone levels are more willing to behave “unethical” than men with lower testosterone levels, but only when competing to seduce the same woman.
Saliva samples
To reach this surprising finding, the researchers collected saliva samples from 83 men and 91 women studying at the university. “We measured their ‘baseline testosterone’, which is the level of testosterone that participants have circulating in their bodies when at rest,” explains Mr. Nepomuceno, one of the two authors of the study.
The men and women were then divided into two groups: some were asked to think of a neutral situation (the last time they had done the laundry), others to a seduction competition. Once these situations had been imagined, the participants filled out a questionnaire that measured their desire to adopt or not adopt risky/immoral behavior. They were asked, for example, if they were ready to “make false declarations of income” Where “to have an affair with a married man or woman”.
“A behavior can be explained by our physiology”
The researchers then found that testosterone levels were positively associated with the willingness to engage in unethical behaviors, but only in men who thought about romantic competition. High testosterone levels were not related to willingness to engage in deviant behaviors among men who had thought about their laundry beforehand, nor among any of the women in the cohort.
“When trying to explain behavior, most people think of cognitive or cultural forces. However, I think it’s important to remember that humans are also biological beings. So our study demonstrates that part of our behavior can be explained by our physiology”concludes Nepomuceno.
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