Cortisol and Testosterone: Do They Affect Our Human Behavior

The human stress response has been characterized, both physiologically and behaviorally, as "fight-or-flight." This fight-or-flight may characterize the primary physiological responses to stress for both males and females.

Social psychology is the study of people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are influenced by events around them either physically or mentally. Social psychologists explain human behavior as a result of mental state or immediate social situations. The psychologists determine the results and deal with the factors that lead to how the patient behaved. They look at everything that could cause the behavior to occur. For instance, social psychologist Amy Cuddy looks at two specific hormones that determine how the patient might react. The two hormones are called Cortisol and Testosterone. Cortisol, according to Encyclopedia.com, is “a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, that promotes the synthesis and storage of glucose and is therefore important in the normal response to stress...”(Encyclopedia.com) Testosterone is a steroid hormone that stimulates the body. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol plays an important role in blocking testosterone's influence on competition and success. When cortisol is released in response to threat, the body is mobilized to escape danger, rather than respond to any influence that testosterone is having on behavior. Studies provide new evidence that opposite hormones work against each other to regulate dominant and competitive behaviors. For social psychology, these two hormones are the most important when determining how people react in the work environment. To prove that the two hormones do react, Amy Cuddy put two groups of people in a nerving situation and told them ...

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...or presence. Studies show that people who have high cortisol tend to feel more insecure in that moment. Another experiment that Amy Cuddy has conducted was she again had two groups of people perform a certain task. She gave each group the opportunity to gamble. The alpha group seized the opportunity and started to gamble instantly, however, the submissive group hesitated and declined the offer. They declined the offer because people with higher cortisol always think that they will lose no matter what. This shows that those who have alpha personalities tend to risk more than submissive groups. In response to this discovery, Amy Cuddy exclaimed, “Our bodies change our minds, and our minds can change our behavior, and our behavior can change our outcomes.”(Ted Talk)

In conclusion, cortisol and testosterone do affect on how people behave. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy