Sex differences in risk-taking turn out to be a common theme in many current studies. Barel et al. (2017) aim to prove the hypothesis that testosterone and cortisol have a different impact on risk-taking in men and women, and this change is related to the effectiveness of estrogen and progesterone. In men, low cortisol levels and high sex hormone levels provoke high risk-taking behaviors. In women, the results are opposite, and the same characteristics lower risk-taking. Despite the existing intrasexual competition, women have a tendency to develop an indirect form of dispute resolution due to a specific biological substrate in both sexes (Barel et al., 2017). These findings prove the involvement of sex hormones in risk-taking behaviors and explain the relationship between stress responses and sex hormone levels.
The results of the study are introduced in the form of the dual-hormone hypothesis (DHH) that contributes to an understanding of social dominance. The researchers state that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonads (HPG) axis and determines human behaviors. If the HPA axis reduces its activity, the HPG axis activity is decreased as well. The DHH is also proved in terms of positive relationships between estrogen and risk-taking behaviors only if cortisol levels remain low. To clarify the importance of sex differences, Barel et al. (2017) address the neuroendocrine foundation and investigate the stress regulatory system’s peculiarities. It is offered to use the findings as an adaptive mechanism in offspring protection and the mother’s role in the child’s development and growth.
Reference
Barel, E., Shahrabani, S., & Tzischinsky, O. (2017). Sex hormone/cortisol ratios differentially modulate risk-taking in men and women. Evolutionary Psychology, 15(1), 1-10. Web.