Preliminary evidence that testosterone's association with aggression depends on self-construal

Journal article

Goetz, Stefan; Justin M. Carré; Keith M. Welker; Rachel E. Norman; Benjamin P. Moreau & Shinobu Kitayama (2017) Preliminary evidence that testosterone's association with aggression depends on self-construal, Hormones and Behaviour 92: 117–127.

Read the article here

Previous research and theory suggest testosterone is an important hormone for modulating aggression and selfregulation. 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.

An error has occurred. This application may no longer respond until reloaded. Reload 🗙