Citation

Mazur A, Booth A. Biol. Psychol. 2014; 96: 72-76.

Affiliation

Department of Sociology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.11.015

PMID

24333104

Abstract

The Vietnam Experience Study (VES) of 4462 male U.S. Army veterans is the first large dataset used to demonstrate that testosterone (but not cortisol) is correlated with diverse measures of antisocial, aggressive or dominant behavior. Many subsequent studies have sustained these relationships while also pointing to important caveats. Some researchers suggest that testosterone is correlated to dominance and aggression only (or mostly) in people with low cortisol, not in those with high cortisol. Here we look back to the VES to test this "dual hormone" hypothesis. We find no testosterone-cortisol interaction for seven measures of antisocial deviance. We consider scope conditions under which the dual hormone hypothesis may be valid.

Language: en