Why Do Females Tend to be More Gullible than Males? They Lack Testosterone

[musemaj11]

Study: Testosterone makes socially naive women more wary

 

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

 

Testosterone makes trusting women less trusting and more socially wary, says a study done by psychologists at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

The researchers gave 24 women 0.5 milligrams of testosterone under their tongues and later a placebo, then asked them to grade the trustworthiness of people based on photos of their faces. The women who got the testosterone were much more likely to be less trustworthy of the strangers' faces.

The research is in this week's edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To control for individual differences, they determined the women's basic trust levels from their choices when they'd been given a placebo, then divided the group into two -- one that was more trusting and one that was less. The trust levels of the naturally low-trusting didn't move much when they were given testosterone, but when naturally high-trusting women were, their trust levels decreased markedly.

Testosterone is a sex hormone present in both sexes, but in higher levels in men. Higher levels of testosterone have been shown to be associated with competition for resources and even financial gains on the stock market.

The researchers notes that previous research has shown that ocytocin (ox-y toe sin), a hormone associated with love, increases interpersonal trust. Their goal was to look at testosterone and see if it was an 'anti-ocytocin.' It's already well established that testosterone is associated with dominance and success in the competition for resources.

They conclude that testosterone plays an important role in increasing social vigilance among trusting humans.

By Elizabeth Weise

 

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2010/05/testosterone-makes-socially-naive-women-more-wary/1

I, and probably many other people, too have always wondered why females (especially the very feminine ones) tend to be much more naive than males. Now we know the answer.

 

So if you are one of those women who always fell for lying men, you know what to do.

Edited April 3, 2011 by musemaj11

[SummersEve]

[Taramere]

I, and probably many other people, too have always wondered why females (especially the very feminine ones) tend to be much more naive than males. Now we know the answer.

 

So if you are one of those women who always fell for lying men, you know what to do.

 

On being given extra testosterone, they were more likely to perceive the strangers depicted in photographs as untrustworthy. Does this mean that before they were given the testosterone these young women in the experiment were socially naive?

 

Everyone's faced, at times, with the conflict of trust versus mistrust. A certain amount of mistrust is a protective mechanism against possible aggressors and rivals, but in order to function socially and have healthy relationships with other people, the ability to trust is also important. What the test shows is that increased amounts of testosterone made these women more likely to form negative assessments of people's characters based purely on the way they looked. The conclusions drawn from that are subjective. Geared, it seems, towards promoting the notion that those who are less trusting of others are more functional members of society. More functional according to whose standards? Dr Moreau?

 

Might people with increased levels of testosterone be less equipped to act as fair and objective jurors due to the increased likelihood of them drawing unfair conclusions about a person's character based on what that person looks like? How a person looks will be influenced their gender and their racial make up. Could it therefore be argued that people with higher levels of testosterone are more likely to make negative snap judgements about others based on factors such as gender and ethnicity?

 

Why would it be supposed that these women - who were cleared as being psychologically and physically healthy individuals - have a problem defined as "social naivety"? Undoubtedly there are liars, narcissists, scam artists and people without conscience in our society. People who practically devote their lives to the arts of lying and manipulation. Pathologising mentally healthy, well socialised people who are inclined to give others the benefit of the doubt, and who may sometimes have made a mistake in extending the benefit of the doubt to somebody who didn't deserve it, seems really skewed. So does the notion of taking perfectly healthy young women, giving them testosterone, observing changes in their perceptions and judging those changes as a sign that they have become better functioning human beings.

[zengirl]

I, and probably many other people, too have always wondered why females (especially the very feminine ones) tend to be much more naive than males. Now we know the answer.

 

So if you are one of those women who always fell for lying men, you know what to do.

 

I think you leap to conclusions to say those women were naive before. Whose to say they aren't simply paranoid after.

 

Giving trust is extremely important to happy living. I generally trust strangers until given a reason (sign, signal, feeling, action, statement) not to do so. Who wants to go through life thinking everyone's untrustworthy?

[sweetjasmine]

Pathologising mentally healthy, well socialised people who are inclined to give others the benefit of the doubt, and who may sometimes have made a mistake in extending the benefit of the doubt to somebody who didn't deserve it, seems really skewed. So does the notion of taking perfectly healthy young women, giving them testosterone, observing changes in their perceptions and judging those changes as a sign that they have become better functioning human beings.

 

Absolutely. Very well said.

 

And as a side note, this conclusion that women become better functioning human beings when they become less trusting of strangers is hilarious in light of the constant b-tching about women acting cold or hostile to cold approaches by men they don't know.

[Taramere]

Absolutely. Very well said.

 

And as a side note, this conclusion that women become better functioning human beings when they become less trusting of strangers is hilarious in light of the constant b-tching about women acting cold or hostile to cold approaches by men they don't know.

 

Yep. Though the comeback will probably be something along the lines of proper women being the ones who don't function very well as human beings.

 

As far as encouraging a better understanding of human nature goes, I suppose thanks to this experiment, we can nod our head sagely next time one of the angrier characters on here launches a furious diatribe about the untrustworthiness and general awfulness of women. Agree amongst ourselves that we shouldn't take it personally. That it's not the poor love's fault his hormones make him a bit silly and paranoid.

Edited April 3, 2011 by Taramere

[sweetjasmine]

Yep. Though the comeback will probably be something along the lines of proper women being the ones who don't function very well as human beings.

 

As far as encouraging a better understanding of human nature goes, I suppose thanks to this experiment, we can nod our head sagely next time one of the angrier characters on here launches a furious diatribe about the untrustworthiness and general awfulness of women. Agree amongst ourselves that we shouldn't take it personally. That it's not the poor love's fault his hormones make him a bit silly and paranoid.

 

Oh definitely. If only LS had a button that allowed you to quickly donate some chocolate and ice cream for the extremely hormonal. Alas...

[Taramere]

Oh definitely. If only LS had a button that allowed you to quickly donate some chocolate and ice cream for the extremely hormonal. Alas...

 

Perhaps it's not that they have too much testosterone, but that they don't have enough oestrogen.

 

http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice-clinical-research/tackling-aggression-with-oestrogen/200671.article

 

Oh the trials. How to stop women from getting into cars with strangers, without causing them to grow beards. How to stop men from attacking everything that moves, without causing them to sprout a pair of breasts.

[Els]

Actually, the abstract of the article is this:

 

Trust plays an important role in the formation and maintenance of human social relationships. But trusting others is associated with a cost, given the prevalence of cheaters and deceivers in human society. Recent research has shown that the peptide hormone oxytocin increases trust in humans. However, oxytocin also makes individuals susceptible to betrayal, because under influence of oxytocin, subjects perseverate in giving trust to others they know are untrustworthy. Testosterone, a steroid hormone associated with competition and dominance, is often viewed as an inhibitor of sociality, and may have antagonistic properties with oxytocin. The following experiment tests this possibility in a placebo-controlled, within-subjects design involving the administration of testosterone to 24 female subjects. We show that compared with the placebo, testosterone significantly decreases interpersonal trust, and, as further analyses established, this effect is determined by those who give trust easily. We suggest that testosterone adaptively increases social vigilance in these trusting individuals to better prepare them for competition over status and valued resources. In conclusion, our data provide unique insights into the hormonal regulation of human sociality by showing that testosterone downregulates interpersonal trust in an adaptive manner.

 

I see nothing wrong with the study, it is simply the OP turning it into a 'men are better than women' thing.

[Woggle]

I hate to start being a misogynist again but there is no other way to put this.

 

Women tend to be more vulnerable to group think, trends and marketing. If you look at how some women are into the latest trends and constantly feel the need for social approval and validation. It seems like there is a much bigger need for status and being accepted by elite society. A lot of modern women are a marketer's dream.

 

Men on the other hand after a certain age tend to not care less about being trendy and being hip and sometimes take delight in going against the grain. Even many rich men I know care more about building wealth than status. They have millions and dress in T shirts and drive a beat up car.

 

Of course there are exceptions and men's BS detectors don't work if a woman has a nice smile and an attractive face.

[Els]

Woggle, you have a right to your opinions but that is completely unrelated to the study. Study just says that testosterone decreases interpersonal trust. You are speaking about conformity.

 

I hate when people use studies as a medium to spew their own propaganda or lap it all up without actually researching or thinking about what the study is really saying.

 

Guess I must have more testosterone than you guys, huh.

[Woggle]

It is somewhat unrelated but it does fit into things. Men tend to be much more mistrusting of marketing than women.

[Woggle]

I never said all and I know there are certainly exceptions.

 

Women also tend to dress for other women instead of men. It's gay men and other women who run the fashion industry and tell people that buying a thousand dollar handbag equals high status. It's teenage girls that make all those boy bands and Just Bieber millionares though just as many men were into Britney Spears in her prime.

 

I am not trying to bash women but every advertiser knows to go after women if you want high sales.

 

I do think it has more to do with nurture than nature though. A woman like yourself who is brought up not to be that will be different and you also see the metrosexual trend today where some men are just as bad.

[Taramere]

It is somewhat unrelated but it does fit into things. Men tend to be much more mistrusting of marketing than women.

 

Studies carried out by the marketing world suggest the opposite.

 

http://thisis.mcbd.co.uk/News/NewsItem/21

[johan]

In spite of their lack of testosterone, Scottish women are not easily fooled.

[Taramere]

In spite of their lack of testosterone, Scottish women are not easily fooled.

 

Our biggest exports are whisky and cynicism.

[Els]

I also want to point out that despite testosterone doing all that, it also misleads men into making judgments with the wrong head, thus leaving them vulnerable to pretty much anything that turns them on sexually.

 

And since we've strayed so far offtopic anyway...

 

But thanks to MEN'S EMBRACE OF THESE TRENDS, women who want to be appealing to the opposite sex must: Shave every inch of their body below the chin, use artificial chemicals on their hair and skin in order to maintain an appealing texture, apply paints to their nails, cover their skin with cosmetic products that alter the appearance of it in order to appear healthier and more sexual, cram their feet into sky high heels that are not healthy for feet or comfortable, and diet and exercise to extremes in order to have the shape to appeal to the most men.

 

I have to agree. I find it hilarious that some men and women who claim to prioritize health, also see nothing wrong with tanning, chemically altering the structure of hair, and constant wearing of high heels. If people truly were concerned about the health of themselves or their partner, they would take such things into consideration as well, instead of only using weight as a measure of health while condoning other unhealthy things that look good. Really, heels especially should be treated like a chocolate fudge sundae - wonderful on occasion, but not something you should be partaking of everyday.

Edited April 3, 2011 by Elswyth

[J200]

I'm very feminine and I do listen to all the "marketing" stuff, for example love designer clothes and fashion etc. Very much into what's hot and trendy.

 

However I am the most cynical and untrusting person ever. So distrustful that I do not talk to strangers. I am not friendly and sociable and I find it bizarre when a stranger says "hi" to the point where I'll make a weird face and ignore them.

 

I do not believe in the goodness of people but that all people are in it for themselves; mostly all men are cheaters and I do not want to get married ever. All men have motives;trust no one. Ever. I don't trust other women either; they are worse than men (back stabbers, catty etc).

 

So I guess in that way I am like a man; I feel that in life it's everyone for themselves and the only person I can ever trust is myself.

[musemaj11]

On being given extra testosterone, they were more likely to perceive the strangers depicted in photographs as untrustworthy. Does this mean that before they were given the testosterone these young women in the experiment were socially naive?

 

Everyone's faced, at times, with the conflict of trust versus mistrust. A certain amount of mistrust is a protective mechanism against possible aggressors and rivals, but in order to function socially and have healthy relationships with other people, the ability to trust is also important. What the test shows is that increased amounts of testosterone made these women more likely to form negative assessments of people's characters based purely on the way they looked. The conclusions drawn from that are subjective. Geared, it seems, towards promoting the notion that those who are less trusting of others are more functional members of society. More functional according to whose standards? Dr Moreau?

 

Might people with increased levels of testosterone be less equipped to act as fair and objective jurors due to the increased likelihood of them drawing unfair conclusions about a person's character based on what that person looks like? How a person looks will be influenced their gender and their racial make up. Could it therefore be argued that people with higher levels of testosterone are more likely to make negative snap judgements about others based on factors such as gender and ethnicity?

 

Why would it be supposed that these women - who were cleared as being psychologically and physically healthy individuals - have a problem defined as "social naivety"? Undoubtedly there are liars, narcissists, scam artists and people without conscience in our society. People who practically devote their lives to the arts of lying and manipulation. Pathologising mentally healthy, well socialised people who are inclined to give others the benefit of the doubt, and who may sometimes have made a mistake in extending the benefit of the doubt to somebody who didn't deserve it, seems really skewed. So does the notion of taking perfectly healthy young women, giving them testosterone, observing changes in their perceptions and judging those changes as a sign that they have become better functioning human beings.

Women do tend to be much more trusting. This is a fact that anyone who has a social life can attest to based on daily observation.

 

But thanks to MEN'S EMBRACE OF THESE TRENDS

Oh please, women embrace stylish men as well. But most men arent so desperate for attention that we would go through all sorts of time and energy consuming 'tortures' every day just so we can be the center of attention and be the most attractive member in the gang.

 

I also want to point out that despite testosterone doing all that, it also misleads men into making judgments with the wrong head, thus leaving them vulnerable to pretty much anything that turns them on sexually.

That is true.

 

But then again this thread has nothing to do with women-hating. You are just jumping into conclusion because you already have a preconceived notion about me.

 

I merely found an article I found interesting and I made a thread about it.

 

As far as encouraging a better understanding of human nature goes, I suppose thanks to this experiment, we can nod our head sagely next time one of the angrier characters on here launches a furious diatribe about the untrustworthiness and general awfulness of women. Agree amongst ourselves that we shouldn't take it personally. That it's not the poor love's fault his hormones make him a bit silly and paranoid.

Tara, just because someone is a lawyer, doesnt mean that person must be immune to manipulation.

 

Someone's ability to trust has little correlation with his/her level of trustworthiness.

[dreamingoftigers]

Our biggest exports are whisky and cynicism.

 

 

I am surprised that there is any left to export. Just kidding.

[AD1980]

Does seem to be that way, a few of my friends wives make friends all the time with new people and easily become attatched to them right away then are shocked that these people werent as nice as they portrayed in the begining where some of us could see subtle signs from the begining

 

I think women as a whole are just more social an develop feelings quicker where Men as a whole tend to be more cautious with who they put in their social circle

[Thedude22]

Testosterone has some positive effects on the body. An increase in aggressiveness is not always a bad thing unless it is cranked up to overly-high levels.

 

Estrogen has very few positive effects and is an inferior chemical in the body to testosterone. It makes you emotional and weak.

 

Essentially the argument does not come down to are women better or worse at this or that compared to men but is estrogen better or worse than testosterone for certain life aspects. I believe women would have many of the same thought processes as men with testosterone injections, though they would essentially become circus freaks at some point as their bodies are not meant to absorb high levels of the hormone.

Edited April 4, 2011 by Thedude22

[d'Arthez]

As a trained psychologist, I must say this study is completely useless to actually come to an understanding of men and women; but then again, psychology these days is all about manipulating as opposed to understanding.

Superficial manipulating at that.

 

Pathologising mentally healthy, well socialised people who are inclined to give others the benefit of the doubt, and who may sometimes have made a mistake in extending the benefit of the doubt to somebody who didn't deserve it, seems really skewed. So does the notion of taking perfectly healthy young women, giving them testosterone, observing changes in their perceptions and judging those changes as a sign that they have become better functioning human beings.

 

Taramere, you know that these problems are always women's fault. If it is not women being emotional (and thus irrational), then it is because they are "scarce" (because every man wants to bless the world with dozens of bundles of joy with his genetic material) or only want the 'best resources', shallowly defined as money and / power.

 

You can't win.