Abstract
Altruistic behavior can be modulated by many factors including hormonal levels, but their reported effects remain mixed. Understanding the proximate mechanisms of altruism such as these can help test predictions of ultimate, evolutionary explanations. We investigated the relationship of the endogenous salivary levels of testosterone and cortisol with Dictator Game (DG) offers as a proxy of altruism on a sample of general-population participants (N = 158, 84 F, 74 M). Bayesian data analysis and model comparison showed both testosterone and cortisol were negatively correlated with DG offers in women, while higher testosterone levels were associated with greater generosity in men. These results suggest that high testosterone may promote altruistic behavior in the service of status-seeking among men.
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