Separable, nonlinear, and interactive effects of testosterone and cortisol during status competition in humans: Evidence for the context-dependent dual hormone hypothesis.

The Dual Hormone Hypothesis is a biosocial model that describes the interactive effects of testosterone and cortisol on status-relevant behavior. Under this model, testosterone increases status-seeking behavior when cortisol is low, and status-loss-avoidance when cortisol is high. This manifests as high-testosterone individuals preferentially competing against high-status opponents when cortisol is low, and low-status opponents when cortisol is high. However, opponent status indicates both potential status gain as well as opponent strength. The present study separates opponent status from potential gains and losses to understand how testosterone and cortisol interact with different status cues during competition. Results suggest that testosterone increases sensitivity to opponent status while decreasing sensitivity to gains and losses. Cortisol moderates testosterone's effects on status sensitivity while independently increasing reward sensitivity. Furthermore, the present work leverages machine learning to elucidate how testosterone influences behavior in a nonlinear fashion.