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Narcissism moderates the association between basal testosterone and generosity in men

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Abstract

Research has linked hormones to behavioral outcomes in intricate ways, often moderated by psychological dispositions. The associations between testosterone and antisocial or prosocial outcomes also depend on dis-positions relevant to status and dominance. In two studies (N1 = 68, N2 = 83), we investigated whether endogenous testosterone, measured in saliva, and narcissism, a psychological variable highly relevant to status motivation, interactively predicted men's preferences regarding resource allocation. Narcissism moderated the links between testosterone and social value orientation: among low narcissists testosterone negatively predicted generosity in resource allocation and probability of endorsing a prosocial (vs. pro-self) value orientation, whereas among high narcissists testosterone tended to positively predict generosity and the probability of endorsing a prosocial (vs. pro-self) value orientation. We discuss these results as examples of calibrating effects of testosterone on human behavior, serving to increase and maintain social status. We advocate the relevance of psychological dispositions, alongside situations, when examining the role of T in social outcomes.

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... Also, the personality trait narcissism seems to be a moderator for the effect of T on resource allocation strategies. Czarna et al. (2022) found that individuals high in both T and narcissism showed a more prosocial value orientation, whereas individuals high in T but low in narcissism showed a more competitive value orientation. Thus, although both T and narcissism influence status-seeking behaviours and more competitive resource allocation strategies separately, their interaction was related to a prosocial value orientation. ...
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Hormones are the endocrine system’s messengers and an important coordinating mechanism of the body’s growth, development, and functioning, with often simultaneous effects throughout the body and brain. Echoing calls for more interdisciplinary research bridging the gap between endocrinology and social sciences, we review evidence for hormones influencing human psychology (behaviour, cognition, and sociality), with a focus on health, sexuality, and further outcomes. We focus on four steroid hormones: testosterone (T), cortisol (C), estrogen (E), and progesterone (P). Embedded into life history theory as a prominent evolutionary framework, effects of T are conceptualised as modulating trade-offs between mating and parenting effort, especially when exposed to potential mates, interacting with offspring, and during competition. The challenge hypothesis suggests acute increases in T when facing challenges, with high T being linked to more competitive behaviour. The dual-hormone hypothesis postulates that C, as a measure of stress, inhibits the effects of T on status-seeking behaviour. The allostatic load framework suggests that chronic stress as indicated by high C levels could have detrimental health consequences. Various measurements of C are negatively related to socioeconomic status. The female steroid hormones E and P coordinate female reproduction by regulating the development and function of the uterus. They affect women’s sexual desire as well as self-perceived attractiveness and are influenced by endogenous (e.g. pregnancy) as well as exogenous (e.g. hormonal contraceptives) factors. We address misinterpretations of biological determinism, highlight potential challenges in measuring hormones, and discuss ways in which social scientists can continue to incorporate hormones into their research.
... Despite the theoretical link, the empirical research on the association between narcissism and testosterone has yielded mixed results. Whereas some studies have reported a positive association between grandiose narcissism and basal testosterone (Pfattheicher, 2016), others failed to find a significant effect (Czarna et al., 2022;Dane et al., 2018;Lobbestael et al., 2014). However, grandiose narcissism has been found to be positively associated with testosterone reactivity (e.g., after an aggression-evoking task; Lobbestael et al., 2014). ...
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Grandiose narcissism is defined as increased motivation for status and viewing oneself as entitled and superiorto others. We hypothesized that these tendencies might be associated with basal levels of testosterone becausetestosterone is considered the most social hormone—driving dominance and the motivation to achieve social status.We distinguished between two facets of grandiose narcissism: agentic (i.e., the tendency to self-promotion in orderto win others’ admiration and social influence) and antagonistic (i.e., a reactive strategy used to restore threatenedstatus). In 283 adult men, we examined the association between these facets of narcissism and blood-tested and selfreportedtestosterone levels. Agentic narcissism—the default narcissistic strategy—was positively associated with bothtestosterone indicators. Moreover, self-reported and objectively measured testosterone were positively correlated.These findings extend previous work by showing that the facets of narcissism have distinct hormonal underpinnings.
... Despite the theoretical link, the empirical research on the association between narcissism and testosterone has yielded mixed results. Whereas some studies have reported a positive association between grandiose narcissism and basal testosterone (Pfattheicher, 2016), others failed to find a significant effect (Czarna et al., 2022;Dane et al., 2018;Lobbestael et al., 2014). However, grandiose narcissism has been found to be positively associated with testosterone reactivity (e.g., after an aggression-evoking task; Lobbestael et al., 2014). ...
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Grandiose narcissism is defined as increased motivation for status and viewing oneself as entitled and superior to others. We hypothesized that these tendencies might be associated with basal levels of testosterone because testosterone is considered the most social hormone-driving dominance and the motivation to achieve social status. We distinguished between two facets of grandiose narcissism: agentic (i.e., the tendency to self-promotion in order to win others' admiration and social influence) and antagonistic (i.e., a reactive strategy used to restore threatened status). In 283 adult men, we examined the association between these facets of narcissism and blood-tested and self-reported testosterone levels. Agentic narcissism-the default narcissistic strategy-was positively associated with both testosterone indicators. Moreover, self-reported and objectively measured testosterone were positively correlated. These findings extend previous work by showing that the facets of narcissism have distinct hormonal underpinnings.
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This article focuses on the interplay between narcissistic leaders and organizations. It attempts to capture the gist of this interplay with a model outlining the narcissistic organizational trajectory. The Energy Clash Model borrows and adapts a phase/state physics metaphor to conceptualize narcissism as a force that enters or emerges in a stable system (i.e., organization) as a leader, destabilizes it, and stabilizes it at a different state or is expelled. The model consists of three time-contingent phases: perturbation, conflict, and resolution. Narcissists create instability through waves of excitement, proposed reforms, and an inspiring vision for organization’s future (perturbation). With the passage of time, though, systemic awareness and alertness intensify, as organizational costs—in terms of human resources and monetary losses—accrue. Narcissistic energy clashes directly with the organization (conflict), a clash likely to restabilize the system eventually. The conflict may provoke the exit of the narcissistic leader or his or her accommodation, that is, steps or controls negotiated between the system and the leader (resolution). Although narcissism is subject to organizational liability, narcissistic energy, when managed and directed properly, may contribute to organizational innovation and evolution. Thus, several interventions for working with narcissistic leaders are discussed.
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Research on human endocrine function and social status has persisted separately for several decades. But recent work in the field of social endocrinology points to a fundamental role for hormones in human status hierarchies. In this chapter, we review evidence of the reciprocal relationship between hormones and hierarchical status, focusing on human endocrine systems that influence and respond to social behavior in pursuit of status. We introduce basic anatomy and physiology pertinent to understanding each hormone's role in human status, relying on animal research as needed to inform our discussion. We selectively review research on testosterone and its relationship to dominant behavior as well as the relationship between cortisol, stress, and status. We then turn to recent evidence on the interaction between testosterone and cortisol in status hierarchies. Estradiol and oxytocin are examined next in relation to female and intergroup status hierarchies, respectively. We conclude with future directions for research on the interplay between hormones and hierarchies. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014. All rights are reserved.
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Testosterone (T) concentrations change rapidly in the context of human competition, and these changes in neuroendocrine function may serve to modulate future aggressive behavior. However, an increase in T during competition does not translate into aggressive behavior among all individuals. Here, we examined the extent to which individual differences in trait anxiety moderate the relationship between T responses to competition and aggressive behavior. Across two studies, we found that T responses to competition were positively correlated with subsequent aggression, but only among men scoring relatively low in trait anxiety. Trait anxiety did not moderate the relationship between T reactivity and aggression in women. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual difference in trait anxiety when examining the neuroendocrine correlates of human aggression.
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Two studies investigated the extent to which narcissism was associated with volunteer motivation. Study 1 investigated a sample of United Way volunteers and Study 2 examined a sample of college student volunteers. As hypothesized, results found that narcissists tend to volunteer for self-interest rather than for humanitarian values. Results remained significant even while controlling for self-esteem (Studies 1 and 2) and empathic concern (Study 2). Discussion involves the current climate for volunteerism, which includes mandated volunteering as part of high school graduation and other requirements.
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Despite the widely held belief that men are more narcissistic than women, there has been no systematic review to establish the magnitude, variability across measures and settings, and stability over time of this gender difference. Drawing on the biosocial approach to social role theory, a meta-analysis performed for Study 1 found that men tended to be more narcissistic than women (d = .26; k = 355 studies; N = 470,846). This gender difference remained stable in U.S. college student cohorts over time (from 1990 to 2013) and across different age groups. Study 1 also investigated gender differences in three facets of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) to reveal that the narcissism gender difference is driven by the Exploitative/Entitlement facet (d = .29; k = 44 studies; N = 44,108) and Leadership/Authority facet (d = .20; k = 40 studies; N = 44,739); whereas the gender difference in Grandiose/Exhibitionism (d = .04; k = 39 studies; N = 42,460) was much smaller. We further investigated a less-studied form of narcissism called vulnerable narcissism-which is marked by low self-esteem, neuroticism, and introversion-to find that (in contrast to the more commonly studied form of narcissism found in the DSM and the NPI) men and women did not differ on vulnerable narcissism (d = -.04; k = 42 studies; N = 46,735). Study 2 used item response theory to rule out the possibility that measurement bias accounts for observed gender differences in the three facets of the NPI (N = 19,001). Results revealed that observed gender differences were not explained by measurement bias and thus can be interpreted as true sex differences. Discussion focuses on the implications for the biosocial construction model of gender differences, for the etiology of narcissism, for clinical applications, and for the role of narcissism in helping to explain gender differences in leadership and aggressive behavior. Readers are warned against overapplying small effect sizes to perpetuate gender stereotypes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).
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Narcissism is a polyhedric construct. It assumes different forms: grandiose versus vulnerable, agentic versus communal, admirative versus rivalrous, collective versus individual. These predict unique outcomes, but can be integrated under structural models that contribute predictive power or process models that contribute explanatory power. The narcissistic nucleus may be unstable, especially for some forms (vulnerable, collective). Parental overvaluation may predict grandiose narcissism, although the role of parental inconsistency in predicting other forms of narcissism (e.g., vulnerable) is worth investigating. Narcissism may entail some intrapersonal benefits for narcissists (especially grandiose ones), such as psychological health, serving as a buffer against adversity, and motivating better performance. Given that narcissism entails interpersonal and social costs, laboratory techniques have addressed ways to curtail it, although long-term and behaviour-oriented interventions are needed.
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This chapter, like each chapter in the edited book, focuses on narcissism (arrogance, exploitativeness, self-admiration, etc.). My goal is to entertain and evaluate the possibility that narcissism evolved. It is important to point out that, by way of background, just because something is morally suspect does not mean that it didn't evolve; indeed, bad things can evolve. But despite narcissism being heritable, there is no direct evidence that narcissism is caused by specific genes, indicating that the evolutionary mechanisms are unknown. Through which pathways- such as mating pathways-does narcissism get passed onto the next generation? Narcissism appears to be positively correlated with short-term mating (e.g., promiscuity), suggesting that narcissism gets pushed into subsequent generations via promiscuous activity. The idea that narcissism evolved via short-term mating, however, is currently questionable, mainly because narcissists are not physically attractive at the unadorned level; in theory, narcissists should be attractive at the unadorned level because short-term mating situations select for raw attractiveness. All told, the prospect of narcissism having evolved is in a precarious position as of this writing. Several gaps in the literature lead to a call for more molecular genetic research and collaborative, large-scale behavioral research. © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018.
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Conspicuous consumption refers to the phenomenon where individuals purchase goods for signalling social status, rather than for its inherent functional value. This study (n = 166 male participants) investigated how the outcome of a social competition influenced conspicuous consumption, and its association with competition-induced testosterone reactivity. Winning a competition increased both explicit and implicit preferences for higher-status vs. lower-status products, using both natural stimuli (prestigious cars) and laboratory-tagged stimuli of matched value (university T-shirts). Competition also influenced behaviour in an Ultimatum Game, such that winners were more likely to reject unfair offers. Competition outcomes had no discernible influence upon salivary testosterone levels, and neither basal testosterone levels nor testosterone reactivity induced by competition predicted the conspicuous consumption measures. Our data indicate that winning a competition lead to more dominant behaviour, albeit in a manner that is not statistically regulated by testosterone, possibly through increased feeling of entitlement.
Book
Given the far-reaching effects of status on human societies, understanding the psychology of social status is crucial. Across all societies, differences in social rank or status not only determine who leads and who follows, but also the ways in which individuals resolve conflicts, allocate goods and resources, and coordinate to achieve shared group goals. The Psychology of Social Status outlines the foundational insights, key advances, and developments that have been made in the field thus far. The goal of this volume is to provide an in-depth exploration of the psychology of human status, by reviewing each of the major lines of theoretical and empirical work that have been conducted in this vein. Organized thematically, the volume covers the following areas: - An overview of several prominent overarching theoretical perspectives that have shaped much of the current research on social status. - Examination of the personality, demographic, situational, emotional, and cultural underpinnings of status attainment, addressing questions about why and how people attain status. - Identification of the intra- and inter-personal benefits and costs of possessing and lacking status. - Emerging research on the biological and bodily manifestation of status attainment - A broad review of available research methods for measuring and experimentally manipulating social status A key component of this volume is its interdisciplinary focus. Research on social status cuts across a variety of academic fields, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, organizational science others; thus the chapter authors are drawn from a similarly wide-range of disciplines. Encompassing the current state of knowledge in a thriving and proliferating field, The Psychology of Social Status is a fascinating and comprehensive resource for researchers, students, policy-makers, and others interested in learning about the complex nature of social status, hierarchy, dominance, and power.
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Recent research on testosterone and risk-taking behavior is beginning to focus on the role of context-dependent changes in testosterone. Extending this research, our study investigated the association between testosterone reactivity to competitive outcomes and risk-taking in the context of a video game based competition. The study also examined whether self-construal moderated this relationship. Results indicated that a rise in testosterone during competition did not predict subsequent risk-taking behavior. However, a rise in testosterone during competition did predict subsequent risk-taking behaviors when focusing only on winners with independent self-construals. Nevertheless, results did not reveal an association between basal testosterone and risk-taking, nor did competitive outcomes modulate a differential testosterone response. Overall, we treat these findings as preliminary, as there were multiple analyses conducted and effect sizes were relatively small. We discuss these results in the context of recent animal findings that testosterone facilitates success at future competitions after winning a competition, as well as recent research suggesting self-construal moderates associations between testosterone and aggression.
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In order to test the cheater hypothesis in relation to the Dark Triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism), we conducted (N = 25 men) a pre- and post-test assessment of testosterone and cortisol with a social evaluative stress (i.e., lying while being video-taped) in between. Machiavellianism was positively correlated with pre-test testosterone, while psychopathy and Machiavellianism were positively correlated with pre-test cortisol. Cortisol decreased in men who were higher in Machiavellianism immediately after completing the lie-task and the patterns for narcissism and psychopathy were in the same direction, suggesting that these individuals were less stressed after the two truths and a lie task. Testosterone increased in those high in psychopathy and narcissism post-task, possibly reflecting, at least among narcissists, their enjoyment of the challenge to deceive others. Results provide physiological support to the hypothesis of the Dark Triad traits represent a "cheater strategy".
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A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. Testosterone is theorized to influence status-seeking behaviors such as social dominance and competitive behavior, but supporting evidence is mixed. The present study tested the roles of testosterone and cortisol in the hawk-dove game, a dyadic economic decision-making paradigm in which earnings depend on one's own and the other player's choices. If one person selects the hawk strategy and the other person selects the dove strategy, the player who selected hawk attains a greater financial pay-off (status differentiation). The worst financial outcome occurs when both players choose the hawk strategy (status confrontation). Ninety-eight undergraduate students (42 men) provided saliva samples and played ten rounds of the hawk-dove game with another same-sex participant. In support of the hypothesis that testosterone is related to status concern, individuals higher in basal testosterone made more hawk decisions - decisions that harmed the other player. Acute decreases in cortisol were also associated with more hawk decisions. There was some empirical support for the dual-hormone hypothesis as well: basal testosterone was positively related to satisfaction in the game among low basal-cortisol individuals but not among high basal-cortisol individuals. There were no significant sex differences in these hormonal effects. The present findings align with theories of hormones and status-seeking behavior at the individual level, but they also open up new avenues for research on hormone profiles at the collective level. Our results suggest that the presence of two or more high-testosterone members increases the likelihood of status confrontations over a limited resource that can undermine collective outcomes.
Article
A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. Since Archer's (2006) influential meta-analysis, there has been a major increase in the number of studies investigating the effect of competition outcome on testosterone reactivity patterns in humans. Despite this increased research output, there remains debate as to whether competition outcome modulates testosterone concentrations. The present paper examines this question using a meta-analytic approach including papers published over the last 35years. Moreover, it provides the first meta-analytic estimate of the effect of competition outcome on testosterone concentrations in women. Results from a meta-analysis involving 60 effect sizes and >2500 participants indicated that winners of a competition demonstrated a larger increase in testosterone concentrations relative to losers (D=0.22, after trim and fill correction)-an effect that was highly heterogeneous. This 'winner-loser' effect was most robust in studies conducted outside the lab (e.g., in sport venues) (D=0.46, after trim and fill correction); for studies conducted in the lab, the effect of competition outcome on testosterone reactivity patterns was relatively weak (D=0.08), and only found in studies of men (D=0.15; in women: D=-0.04). Further, the winner-loser effect was stronger among studies in which pre-competition testosterone was sampled earlier than (D=0.38, after trim and fill correction) rather than within (D=0.09) 10min of the start of the competition. Therefore, these results also provide important insight regarding study design and methodology, and will be a valuable resource for researchers conducting subsequent studies on the winner-loser effect.
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Correlative evidence suggests that testosterone promotes dominance and aggression. However, causal evidence is scarce and offers mixed results. To investigate this relationship, we administered testosterone for 48h to 41 healthy young adult men in a within-subjects, double-blind placebo-controlled balanced crossover design. Subjects played the role of responders in an ultimatum game, where rejecting a low offer is costly, but serves to destroy the proposer's profit. Such action can hence be interpreted as non-physical aggression in response to social provocation. In addition, subjects completed a self-assessed mood questionnaire. As expected, self-reported aggressiveness was a key predictor of ultimatum game rejections. However, while testosterone affected subjective ratings of feeling energetic and interested, our evidence strongly suggests that testosterone had no effect on ultimatum game rejections or on aggressive mood. Our findings illustrate the importance of using causal interventions to assess correlative evidence.
Article
Significance 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. However, causal evidence distinguishing these accounts is lacking. Here, we tested between these hypotheses in men injected with testosterone or placebo in a double-blind, randomized design. Participants played a modified Ultimatum Game, which included the opportunity to punish or reward the other player. Administration of testosterone caused increased punishment of the other player but also, increased reward of larger offers. These findings show that testosterone can cause prosocial behavior in males and provide causal evidence for the social status hypothesis in men.
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Narcissism can lead to various interpersonal problems. However, the characteristics of social decision making in trait narcissism and the cognitive and affective underpinnings are poorly understood. We employed established game theoretical paradigms to investigate different facets of social behavior in participants (N = 122; 41 female, mean age = 30 years) with a wide range of scores on the Pathological Narcissistic Inventory. Interpersonal traits, attitudes, and emotions were assessed as potential mediators of behavioral differences. High narcissism scores were related to lower generosity, especially when this could result in being punished. This maladaptive behavior was fully mediated by reduced perspective-taking abilities in narcissism. Also, narcissism scores predicted higher levels of punishment behavior, driven by higher levels of experienced anger. Hence, the difficulties narcissists face in interactions may be due to their reduced perspective-taking skills and resulting reduced generosity as well as enhanced anger-based retaliation behavior.
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This research investigates endocrinological associations of the Dark Triad by relating narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy to endogenous testosterone and cortisol. Building on the notion that narcissists (in contrast to individuals with a proneness to Machiavellianism or psychopathy) possess a preference for being superior and a propensity to dominate other individuals, it is assumed that the dominance-related hormone testosterone is positively associated with narcissism. It is additionally assumed that narcissism specifically is positively related to basal cortisol levels given narcissists' vigilance and sensitivity regarding their social esteem and status which is linked to cortisol activity. In a study including 129 men from the subclinical population (Mage = 21.97, range = 18 to 34 years), a positive correlation of narcissism with basal testosterone levels was found. Narcissism was also positively correlated with basal cortisol levels. No significant relations emerged for Machiavellianism or psychopathy. In sum, the present contribution suggests that dark personality traits, in this case narcissism, are expressed in the endocrinology of individuals.
Article
The pursuit of social status is a recurrent and pervasive challenge faced by individuals in all human societies. Yet, the precise means through which individuals compete for and effectively acquire social standing remains unclear. Despite a large literature examining the factors that lead to rank differentiation, this body of work currently lacks a unifying framework. The current chapter addresses this gap by proposing the adoption of the Dominance-Prestige Account, an evolutionary framework that proposes two distinct pathways to rank attainment in human societies: dominance, or the use of force and intimidation to induce fear, and prestige, or the sharing of expertise or know-how to gain respect. Here, we show how this account provides a parsimonious explanation for the large body of previously disconnected findings that have emerged on rank attainment, and demonstrate that it offers the additional benefit of explaining why various behaviors, traits, and attributes effectively promote rank, rather than simply describe which of these factors promote rank. In light of its parsimony and explanatory power, we advocate the Dominance-Prestige Account as an empirically grounded framework for organizing, understanding, and generating research on human social rank dynamics. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014. All rights are reserved.
Article
Narcissism has long been used to predict aggressive or vengeful responses to provocations from others. The strength of this relation can, however, vary widely from study to study. Narcissism and revenge were examined in 84 independent samples (N = 11297), along with the moderating role of sample type (i.e., child/adolescent, prisoner, undergraduate, or general samples), type of narcissism measure used (i.e., Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Psychological Entitlement Scale, Short D3, etc.), the nature of the provocation, and the type of provoked aggression examined. Narcissism was positively related to provoked aggression across studies (ρ = .25), but that relation was stronger in child/adolescent samples (ρ = .36) and when measures of entitlement or vulnerable narcissism were employed (ρ = .29). Implications for practical research, as well as neglected areas of research on narcissism and provoked aggression are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 9999:1-18, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Chapter
The origins of narcissism are poorly understood but an evolutionary framework can provide some insight. Evidence is consistent with the view that narcissism evolved because it conferred advantages for short-term sexual relations, namely physical attractiveness and coercive tendencies. Narcissism also peaks in adolescence, when promiscuity is quite viable.
Article
Many studies have reported that business students have been more apt to act in self-interested ways when compared to their counterparts in other academic fields. Beginning with the premise that ethical behavior derives in part from personality characteristics, the authors tested whether (a) measures of an empathetic or narcissistic personality predicted self-reported ethical decision making in business students and (b) individual business majors have a tendency to exhibit these personality traits. First, findings demonstrate that empathetic and narcissistic personality traits are significant predictors of ethical decision making. Second, they found that finance majors showed a marked and statistically significant tendency to be less empathetic and more narcissistic as compared to other business students.
Article
Since precise forecasting of the future is not possible, most of life’s decisions are made with uncertain outcomes. One important facet of uncertainty that is of particular interest to decision scientists is risk—the choice between an option that is less rewarding but more certain and an option that is less certain, but potentially more rewarding. Recent developments in both neuroscience and behavioral endocrinology have helped to reveal the biological mechanisms that support decision-making involving economic risk, and consequently, potential factors associated with individual differences in risk taking. This review is dedicated to surveying recent developments that link the hormone testosterone to economic risk taking. Like neuroeconomics, endocrinological approaches may provide a potentially powerful framework from which to understand decision-making and may help to make sense of a number of well-documented behavioral anomalies involving economic risk. Specifically, we suggest that testosterone functions to modulate risky behaviors in ways that appear to be adaptive. Still, more work is needed to understand the nature of the relationship between testosterone and risk in both sexes.