Moral Decisions and Testosterone: When the Ends Justify the Means

Behavioral endocrinology research suggests that testosterone may play a role in moral decision making. Studies involving human and nonhuman animals indicate that high basal testosterone is associated with decreased aversion to risk and an increased threshold for conflict, fear, stress, and threat. We tested the role of testosterone in moral decision making. We predicted and found that individuals high in testosterone are more likely to make utilitarian decisions—specifically when doing so involves acts of aggression and social cost.

The PDF above is a preprint version of the article. The final version may be found at < http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2010.02.003 >.