Androstadienone, a Chemosignal Found in Human Sweat, Increases Individualistic Behavior and Decreases Cooperative Responses in Men. (30th January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Banner, Amir; Frumin, Idan; Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G
• Is Part Of: Chemical senses. Volume 43:Number 3(2018)
• Page Start: 189
• Page End: 196
• Publication Date: 2018-01-30
• Subjects: androstadienone -- dominance -- social chemosignaling -- submissiveness; Chemical senses -- Periodicals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0379-864X

Abstract

Abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that humans can communicate socially relevant information, such as aggression, dominance, and readiness for competition, through chemosensory signals. Androstadienone (androsta-4, 16, -dien-3-one), a testosterone-derived compound found in men's axillary sweat, is a main candidate for a human pheromone that may convey such information. The current study aimed to investigate whether androstadienone serves as a chemosignaling threat cue to men, thus triggering avoidance behavior during competitive interaction with another man. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject study design, 30 healthy, normosmic, heterosexual male participants completed the social orientation paradigm (SOP), a monetary game played against a fictitious partner that allows 3 types of responses to be measured in the context of provocation: an aggressive response, an individualistic withdrawal response, and a cooperative response. Participants completed the SOP task twice, once under exposure to androstadienone and once under exposure to a control solution. The results indicate that androstadienone increased individualistic responses while it decreased cooperative responses. These findings support the role of androstadienone as a threatening signal of dominance that elicits behavioral avoidance and social withdrawal tendencies, possibly as a submissive response.