Here is an interesting study reported by the New Scientist.
Although testosterone levels are partly genetically determined, physical exercise, winning a sport competition or a game, and making money have all been shown to increase testosterone levels.
Testosterone correlates with aggression levels, masculinity, logical thinking, muscle mass, hairiness, and apparently now also stinginess.
It would be amusing to see if nations or ethnic groups who are reputedly stingy (such as the Scots, Dutch, Belgians or Jews) do have higher testosterone than average.
Dutch-speakers at least are among the most egalitarian people in Europe (along with Scandinavians), so if they indeed had higher testosterone there would be some truth in the statement that stingy behaviour help "enforcing a social order that calls for a 50-50 split".
Overall, the testosterone cream caused a 27 per cent reduction in the generosity of the offers, from averages of $2.15 to $1.57, Redwine and Zak found.
A more potent variant of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), exerted an even stronger influence on behaviour. Men with the most DHT in their bloodstream offered their partners a paltry $0.55 of the $10, while men with the least amount of DHT tendered $3.65, on average.
DHT was also associated with a propensity to punish unfair offers. Men with the highest levels rejected offers below $4, while men with low levels of the androgen only punished if the offer was below $2.15, the researchers found.
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Yet by rejecting unfair offers, testosterone-fuelled volunteers are actually enforcing a social order that calls for a 50-50 split. "People are selfish, but they're selfless as well, and it's not understood why the behaviour shifts," she says.
Although testosterone levels are partly genetically determined, physical exercise, winning a sport competition or a game, and making money have all been shown to increase testosterone levels.
Testosterone correlates with aggression levels, masculinity, logical thinking, muscle mass, hairiness, and apparently now also stinginess.
It would be amusing to see if nations or ethnic groups who are reputedly stingy (such as the Scots, Dutch, Belgians or Jews) do have higher testosterone than average.
Dutch-speakers at least are among the most egalitarian people in Europe (along with Scandinavians), so if they indeed had higher testosterone there would be some truth in the statement that stingy behaviour help "enforcing a social order that calls for a 50-50 split".