Observational · 2010
Testosterone and cortisol jointly regulate dominance: Evidence for a dual-hormone hypothesis
P. H. Mehta, R. A. Josephs. Hormones and Behavior.
In leadership and competition tasks, basal testosterone related to dominance only among people with low cortisol. High cortisol blocked or reversed the association. First empirical statement of the dual-hormone hypothesis.
Open sourcedoi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.08.020PMID 20816841
Edges that cite this paper
- Basal T is not a leadership switch. The dual-hormone claim is an interaction, and the interaction is small and contested.
- High cortisol is the condition under which 'high T = leader' fails. The internet quote drops this term.
- T/C is a derived index. Stamp it smoke unless the paper pre-registered the ratio and showed the interaction.
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What Causes What. “Testosterone and cortisol jointly regulate dominance: Evidence for a dual-hormone hypothesis.” https://whatcauseswhat.org/papers/p-mehta-josephs-2010 (atlas updated 2026-08-31).