Testosterone is positively associated with risk taking in the Iowa Gambling Task
Abstract
The association between testosterone and economic risk is not well-understood and is understudied. The present study aimed to further characterize what if any relationship testosterone has with risky economic decisions. To do so, 154 participants (78 men) completed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) (Bechara et al., 1994) and also provided saliva samples, which were assayed for endogenous testosterone levels using radioimmunoassay. High-levels of endogenous testosterone were associated with choosing less frequently from advantageous IGT decks of cards, indicating greater risk taking. The data showed that the effects of testosterone on IGT performance were similar for men and women. High-testosterone women and high-testosterone men made riskier choices than their low-testosterone counterparts of the same sex, and this effect was pronounced in women. Thus, high levels of testosterone are associated with willingness to incur greater risk in both sexes.
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In humans, naturally high testosterone is associated with elevated reward-seeking, decreased punishment avoidance, and disadvantageous decision making on the Iowa Gambling Task.
“individuals with naturally high levels of testosterone exhibited elevated reward-seeking and decreased punishment avoidance, resulting in disadvantageous decision making”
From Impact of socio-emotional context, brain development, and pubertal maturation on adolescent risk-taking (2013) · cites this paper as Stanton et al., 2011
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References 31 · Cited by 236
- Authors
- Stanton, S. J., Liening, S. H., & Schultheiss, O. C.
- Affiliations
- Duke University (US)
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Stanton, Steven J.
- Venue
- Hormones and Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-02
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 252-256
- ISSN
- 0018-506X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2118093730
- Cited by
- 236
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 6.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Hormones and Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- testosterone, risk-taking, Iowa Gambling Task, economic risk, risky decision making, sex differences, endogenous testosterone
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Choice Behavior, Decision Making, Female, Gambling, Humans, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Reward, Risk-Taking, Saliva, Task Performance and Analysis, Testosterone, Young Adult
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