Men prosper by getting sweaty with other men
A man's perspiration can influence the behavior of other men to become more cooperative and generous, a study says. Men with higher testosterone levels are more susceptible to suggestion from their clammy compatriots.
University of Turku in Finland published the study this week in PLOS ONE, an open access peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing on the effects of the pheromone androstadienone. The study's participants played dictatorial and ultimatum themed decision-making video games together with and without androstadienone present. The sample was relatively small (n=40), but did use a double-blind control group. It combined pheromone research with behavioral game theory of experimental economics.
The results were encouraging. Androstadienone was found to influence male decision-making behavior:
"...the androstadienone receiving group accepted significantly lower offers as Responders, and the difference between Proposer offers and the minimum acceptable offers was significantly higher than in the control group (meaning that participants offered more and asked for less). There was also a tendency in the androstadienone receiving group to make larger offers as Proposers and as sole decision makers in ultimatum. Thus, it seems that androstadienone increased cooperation in ultimatum and dictator [games]."
Future research will examine the relationship between androstadienone and attractiveness. That would help determine whether "an attractive and dominant male can be a valuable potential mating partner for a female," or a "competitor for another male." The root cause could be evolutionary, the study hypothesized.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that androstadienone directly affects behaviour in human males," the researchers wrote. They acknowledged that it was difficult to simulate realistic quantities of the chemical in a lab environment, but the study clearly suggests that the pheromones influence more than just the mating behaviors of humans.
We now know that men may form "bromances" with other sweaty guys regardless of their sexual orientation. But if you want to succeed in business, gentlemen please don't spare the deodorant.
(image credit: docurama.com)
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