Testosterone Linked to Impulsive Behavior, Impairs Decision-Making Skills, New Study Says
The stereotype of the hot-headed, uber-macho guy has been well-represented in movies and television. In order to fully understand how this prevailing notion came to be, a new study sought to find the underlying processes that link testosterone levels with impulsive behavior.
In the study submitted to the Psychological Science journal, researchers from California Institute of Technology explored the role of the primary male sex hormone in poor impulse control and reduced cognitive reflection.
A total of 243 males participated in the study; one group received a dose of testosterone gel while the other received placebo gel. They were then asked to take a cognitive reflection test, which assessed their capability in identifying erroneous judgments and correcting them with the appropriate responses. They were also given a math task to control for other variables.
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Results showed that males who received testosterone scored lower, providing 20 percent fewer correct answers than the other group. They also answered more quickly compared to the males who were administered the placebo gel. The same effect was not observed in the math test, which demonstrates the effect of testosterone on cognition and decision-making skills.
"What we found was the testosterone group was quicker to make snap judgments on brain teasers where your initial guess is usually wrong. The testosterone is either inhibiting the process of mentally checking your work or increasing the intuitive feeling that 'I'm definitely right,'" said researcher and Caltech professor Colin Camerer.
Results of the study support the notion that testosterone increases confidence in humans. In turn, confidence drives males to increase their social status. As confidence increases, the more males think that their decisions and responses are correct. As such, the likelihood of questioning one's impulses decreases, thus, affecting one's decision-making skills.
According to Camerer, findings of their study have implications on the prevailing use of testosterone-replacement therapy in increasing sex drive of middle-aged men.
"If men want more testosterone to increase sex drive, are there other effects? Do these men become too mentally bold and thinking they know things they don't?" he mused.
