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The masculinization of the brain is not just mediated by testosterone levels at the adult stage, but also testosterone exposure in the womb. The first is the challenge hypothesis which states that testosterone would increase during puberty, thus facilitating reproductive and competitive behavior which would include aggression. There are two theories on the role of testosterone in aggression and competition. Higher testosterone levels in men reduce the risk of becoming or staying unemployed.
A small number (3 of 40) of participants played the task without these control trials. The first proposer always offered €2, €3, or €4; the second proposer always offered €5, €6, or €7; and the third proposer always offered €8, €9, or €10. Four participants were excluded after clinical screening, whereas three participants who passed screening subsequently withdrew from the study before completion.
These findings are inconsistent with a simple relationship between testosterone and aggression and provide causal evidence for a more complex role for testosterone in driving status-enhancing behaviors in males. Furthermore, when participants administered testosterone received large offers, they were more likely to reward the proposer and also chose rewards of greater magnitude. Although popular discussion of testosterone’s influence on males often centers on aggression and antisocial behavior, contemporary theorists have proposed that it instead enhances behaviors involved in obtaining and maintaining a high social status. Administration of testosterone caused increased punishment of the other player but also, increased reward of larger offers. Although in several species of bird and animal, testosterone increases male–male aggression, in human males, it has been suggested to instead promote both aggressive and nonaggressive behaviors that enhance social status.
For this and many other reasons, scientists claim it’s about time we stop assuming testosterone makes male aggression erupt like a volcano. Surprisingly, they chose greater rewards comparing to men who received a placebo. One group received testosterone injections, while people in the second group were administered with a placebo. Although lower levels of testosterone and the impact it has on the body is widely discussed, it’s also important to talk about higher levels of the hormone. Testosterone is a sex hormone that plays a crucial role in an organism, which is why decreased levels of this hormone usually showcase a number of symptoms in men.
The study did confirm that elevated levels of this hormone could lead to male aggression which isn’t mediated by increased motivation to maximize task earnings or altered beliefs about the strategic influence of their actions on others. Instead, we find that testosterone’s effect on male behavior depended on the social context, and we show in a single experiment that testosterone can enhance both reactive aggression and generosity. Our study suggests that testosterone, by playing on both positive and negative incentives, could have played a key evolutionary role in not only promoting aggressive behavior but also, increasing generous behavior to maintain a high social status.

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