TY - JOUR
T1 - A meta-analytical evaluation of the dual-hormone hypothesis
T2 - Does cortisol moderate the relationship between testosterone and status, dominance, risk taking, aggression, and psychopathy?
AU - Dekkers, Tycho J.
AU - van Rentergem, Joost A. Agelink
AU - Meijer, Bren
AU - Popma, Arne
AU - Wagemaker, Eline
AU - Huizenga, Hilde M.
N1 - With supplementary materials
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - According to the dual-hormone hypothesis, the relationship between testosterone and status-relevant behavior is moderated by cortisol, suggesting this relationship only exists when cortisol is low. In the current study, a meta-analysis (including 30 papers with 33 studies, 49 effect sizes, n = 8538) on the interaction effect of testosterone and cortisol on status-relevant behavior (i.e. status, dominance, risk taking, aggression, and psychopathy) was performed. There was only marginal support for the dual-hormone hypothesis: The effect size of the interaction between testosterone and cortisol on status-relevant behavior was significant but very small (r = -.061, p =.026), which was corroborated by follow-up meta-analyses on simple slopes on low and high cortisol. Effect sizes were largest for direct status measures, although not significantly different from other outcome measures. Similarly, effect sizes seemed larger for men than for women. However, robustness analyses indicated signs of publication bias, enhanced significance due to potential flexibility in data-analysis, and a lack of power of individual studies, emphasizing the need for a large, pre-registered study.
AB - According to the dual-hormone hypothesis, the relationship between testosterone and status-relevant behavior is moderated by cortisol, suggesting this relationship only exists when cortisol is low. In the current study, a meta-analysis (including 30 papers with 33 studies, 49 effect sizes, n = 8538) on the interaction effect of testosterone and cortisol on status-relevant behavior (i.e. status, dominance, risk taking, aggression, and psychopathy) was performed. There was only marginal support for the dual-hormone hypothesis: The effect size of the interaction between testosterone and cortisol on status-relevant behavior was significant but very small (r = -.061, p =.026), which was corroborated by follow-up meta-analyses on simple slopes on low and high cortisol. Effect sizes were largest for direct status measures, although not significantly different from other outcome measures. Similarly, effect sizes seemed larger for men than for women. However, robustness analyses indicated signs of publication bias, enhanced significance due to potential flexibility in data-analysis, and a lack of power of individual studies, emphasizing the need for a large, pre-registered study.
KW - Aggression
KW - Cortisol
KW - Dual-hormone
KW - Interaction
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - Simple slopes
KW - Status-relevant behavior
KW - Testosterone
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85058813343&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/31915936/1_s2.0_S0149763417306784_mmc1.docx
UR - https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/31915938/1_s2.0_S0149763417306784_mmc2.docx
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.004
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.004
M3 - Review article
C2 - 30529754
SN - 0149-7634
VL - 96
SP - 250
EP - 271
JO - Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
JF - Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
ER -