Testosterone Responses To Competition In Men Are Related To Facial Masculinity

Main Category: Endocrinology
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology;  Men's health;  Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 17 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Previous research has shown that men's testosterone levels tend to rise for a short time after they experience success in competitive interactions (e.g. sporting contests or even games of chance).

In the present study we found that this effect is most pronounced in men with more masculine faces. We asked men to participate in a competitive task that involved watching and predicting the outcome of sporting events. However, we determined the outcome by randomly allocated them to either winning or losing conditions.

We found that men with more masculine facial structure (e.g. large jaw and a prominent brow ridge) showed higher levels of testosterone after experiencing success in the task.

Our findings indicate that a man's facial appearance can predict how his hormonal system is likely to respond to involvement in competition.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

• Additional
• References
• Citations