Abstract
Capacity to recognize one’s own face (hereinafter referred to as self face) is a fundamental component of various domains of social cognition such as empathy in humans. Previous research has demonstrated that a high level of androgen suppresses empathic behavior and social brain function. Taking these into consideration, we hypothesized that people with high androgen level show reduced response to self face. The present study examined this hypothesis by investigating the association between attentiveness towards self face, as assessed by a psychophysiological experiment, and salivary testosterone concentration. The attentional responses to self face was measured by a modified Go/NoGo task. In this task, self face or unfamiliar other’s face was presented simultaneously with Go or NoGo signal. In go trials, participants had to divert their attention from the face to a peripheral target. The reaction time (RT) for peripheral target detection in each condition was measured. In addition to behavioral data, saliva samples were collected to assay salivary testosterone concentration. The index of potency of self face to hold viewer’s attention that was computed based on RT data was regressed against salivary testosterone concentration in men and women separately. The analyses revealed that self face holds visuospatial attention more effectively in women with low than high salivary testosterone level, but no such trend was observed in men. This pattern of results indicates that low testosterone level is associated with a pronounced response to self face as we hypothesized and raises the possibility that multiple aspects of self-face processing are under the influence of endocrinological function.
Highlights
Self-awareness is considered a cornerstone of social cognition (Gallup, 1970; Keenan et al, 2000; Humphreys and Sui, 2016)
The salivary testosterone concentration was significantly higher in male than in female participants, t(78) = −16.2, p < 0.001, d = 3.79
The present study revealed that female participants with low salivary testosterone show inefficient disengagement of attention from self face compared with those with a relatively high testosterone level
Summary
Self-awareness is considered a cornerstone of social cognition (Gallup, 1970; Keenan et al, 2000; Humphreys and Sui, 2016). Self Face and Testosterone many neuroimaging studies have revealed increased activation of neural regions, such as the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, to self faces compared with other’s faces (Keenan et al, 2000; Kircher et al, 2001; Heatherton et al, 2006), which indicates that exposure to self face induces introspection and emotional reaction effectively Part of these neural regions is recruited in inference of other’s mental status and perspective taking as well (Mitchell et al, 2005; Healey and Grossman, 2018), which gives further credence to the view that self-face processing comprises the basis of social cognition (Happé, 2003)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
