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Testosterone responsiveness to winning and losing experiences in female soccer players
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Orientador(es)
Resumo(s)
In many animal species including humans circulating androgen levels inmales respond
to social challenges. This response has been interpreted as an adaptive mechanism that helps the
individuals to adjust theirbehavior to changes in social context. According to this hypothesis socially
modulated androgen levels (e.g. increased levels in dominants and decreased levels in subordinates)
would influence the subsequent expression of social behavior in a status-dependent fashion.
This rationale is partially based on male physiology and therefore has been rarely investigated in
females.Here,weinvestigated if a hormonal response to a social challenge that produces changes in
status is also present in human females. We have collected saliva from and administered questionnaires
to female soccer players of both teams playing the final match of the Portuguese Female
soccer league. Samples were collected on a neutral day and on the day of the game both before and
after the match. The change in testosterone levels (i.e. post-game pre-game values = DT) was
positive in the winners and negative in the losers and there was a significant difference in the
testosterone change (i.e.DT) over the game between winners and losers. Cortisol levels did not vary
with contest outcome. An anticipatory rise in circulating levels of both hormones (testosterone and
cortisol) was detected before the match. Paralleling the hormonal responses, changes in mood and
anxiety state were also found between both teams, with more positive states being observed in
winners and more negative states being observed in losers at the end of the match. These results
suggest that testosterone also responds to social challenges in human females and that contestinduced
mood changes may influence this response.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Competition Status Outcome Women Testosterone Cortisol
Contexto Educativo
Citação
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34, 1056-1064
Editora
Elsevier