Tandem Androgenic and Psychological Shifts in Male Reproductive Effort Following a Manipulated \u201cWin\u201d or \u201cLoss\u201d in a Sporting Competition

Daniel P Longman,Michele K Surbey,Jay T Stock,Jonathan C K Wells

doi:10.1007/s12110-018-9323-5

Daniel P Longman, Michele K Surbey + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-018-9323-5

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Abstract

Male-male competition is involved in inter- and intrasexual selection, with both endocrine and psychological factors presumably contributing to reproductive success in human males. We examined relationships among men’s naturally occurring testosterone, their self-perceived mate value (SPMV), self-esteem, sociosexuality, and expected likelihood of approaching attractive women versus situations leading to child involvement. We then monitored changes in these measures in male rowers (N = 38) from Cambridge, UK, following a manipulated “win” or “loss” as a result of an indoor rowing contest. Baseline results revealed that men with heightened testosterone and SPMV values typically had greater inclinations toward engaging in casual sexual relationships and a higher likelihood of approaching attractive women in a hypothetical social situation. As anticipated, both testosterone and SPMV increased following a manipulated “victory” and were associated with heightened sociosexuality, and increased expectations toward approaching attractive women versus individuals who would involve them in interacting with children after the race. SPMV and self-esteem appeared to mediate some of the effects of testosterone on post-race values. These findings are considered in the broader context of individual trade-offs between mating and parental effort and a model of the concurrent and dynamic androgenic and psychological influences contributing to male reproductive effort and success.

Highlights

Male-male competition is involved in inter- and intrasexual selection, with both endocrine and psychological factors presumably contributing to reproductive success in human males
The present study aims to build on previous work, which demonstrated that elevated testosterone levels following male-male competition may be followed by increased affiliative behavior toward women, such as increased smiling and eye contact
Since participants were randomly assigned a win or a loss, we did not expect to observe any differences between winners and losers in their pre-race testosterone, self-perceived mate value (SPMV), Woman Approach, Child Involvement, M-P Trade-off, Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R) Total, SOI-R Attitude, SOI-R Behavior, SOI-R Desire or Self-esteem

Summary

Introduction

Male-male competition is involved in inter- and intrasexual selection, with both endocrine and psychological factors presumably contributing to reproductive success in human males. Greater reproductive success may result from increased access to resources, decreased harassment by other group members, and the reduced risk of predation inherent in enhanced social status In both sexes, this promotes reduced emotional stress and better health, leading to greater chances of copulation, conception, and birth of healthy offspring (Ellis 1995). Similar findings have recently been reported in non-industrialized human populations with respect to hunting success (Trumble et al 2013) and in primates following a dominance interaction (Muller and Wrangham 2001) This relationship is not surprising since competitions have been described as formalized contests for status in which winners enjoy a status gain relative to losers (Edwards 2006). Several investigations report nonsignificant differences in testosterone levels between winners and losers in both individual and team sports as well as video game contests (GonzalezBono et al 2000; Mazur et al 1997; Salvador et al 1987, 1990; Suay et al 1999)

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