Testosterone alters harm-avoidance learning in men
Testosterone makes men more sensitive to personal harm, affecting learning processes.
Why it matters
- Testosterone affects how men learn to avoid harm.
- It shows a new role for testosterone in self-preservation and social behavior.
By the numbers
- 120 healthy male university students participated.
- Testosterone group showed a persistent performance gap between self and others.
- Study used computational models to analyze learning rates.
The big picture
- Testosterone fine-tunes self-preservation mechanisms.
- This could affect social behavior and decision-making.
What they're saying
- Some skepticism about the single dose of testosterone causing noticeable changes.
- Interest in the study, but questions about short-term effects.
- Suggestions for follow-up studies on social and moral decision tasks.
Caveats
- Only male participants were included.
- Replication needed for more confidence in results.
What’s next
- Larger, preregistered studies needed.
- Explore conditions where choices are observed by others.