Testosterone reduces generosity through cortical and subcortical mechanisms.

ABSTRACT: Recent evidence has linked testosterone, a major sex hormone, to selfishness in economic decision-making. Here, we aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms through which testosterone reduces generosity by combining functional MRI with pharmacological manipulation among healthy young males in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject design. After testosterone or placebo gel administration, participants performed a social discounting task in which they chose between selfish options (benefiting only the participant) and generous options (providing also some benefit to another person at a particular social distance). At the behavioral level, testosterone reduced generosity compared to the placebo. At the neural level (n = 60), the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) encoded the

SUBMITTER: Ou J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8000274 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature