Under the influence: exogenous testosterone influences men's cross-sex perceptions of sexual interest.

ABSTRACT: The sexual misperception bias is a cognitive bias in which men tend to overestimate sexual interest from women, potentially shaped by evolutionary mating strategies. Testosterone, often linked to mating behaviors, might play a role in sustaining sexual overperceptions. To explore this possibility, we conducted a placebo-controlled study with 190 heterosexual men, administering either 11 mg of testosterone or a placebo. Participants interacted with an attractive female confederate, while naïve raters assessed the confederate's affiliative behaviors. Our findings suggest that exogenous testosterone did not broadly impact sexual overperception. However, we found that affiliative behavior from the confederate was positively correlated with perceived sexual interest among testosterone-treated,

SUBMITTER: Goetz SMM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11418507 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature