Neuroscience
I'm not sure what this says about the finalists of The Apprentice but a new study argues that, among men at least, entrepreneurs have more testosterone than usual. Using saliva swabs, Roderick White and colleagues found 31 male business students who’d previously invested and managed their own ventures had significantly higher testosterone levels than 79 of their male class mates who’d never led their own business venture.
“A specific heritable characteristic of each individual, their testosterone level, explains something about the likelihood of that individual being significantly involved in creating a new venture”, the researchers said. “Entrepreneurs may not be born; but what one is born with affects the likelihood of that person engaging in entrepreneurial activities”.
The researchers said that, if replicated, the finding could raise ethical dilemmas. “Should venture capitalists be allowed to test the testosterone levels of would-be-entrepreneurs requesting new venture funding?”, they asked.
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White, R.E., Thornhill, S. & Hampson, E. (2006). Entrepreneurs and evolutionary biology: The relationship between testosterone and new venture creation. Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 100, 21-34.
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
Link to testosterone-themed boxer shorts (thanks Mind Hacks).
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Neuroscience
…And how testosterone can fuel entrepreneurship
I'm not sure what this says about the finalists of The Apprentice but a new study argues that, among men at least, entrepreneurs have more testosterone than usual. Using saliva swabs, Roderick White and colleagues found 31 male business students who’d previously invested and managed their own ventures had significantly higher testosterone levels than 79 of their male class mates who’d never led their own business venture.“A specific heritable characteristic of each individual, their testosterone level, explains something about the likelihood of that individual being significantly involved in creating a new venture”, the researchers said. “Entrepreneurs may not be born; but what one is born with affects the likelihood of that person engaging in entrepreneurial activities”.
The researchers said that, if replicated, the finding could raise ethical dilemmas. “Should venture capitalists be allowed to test the testosterone levels of would-be-entrepreneurs requesting new venture funding?”, they asked.
__________________________________
White, R.E., Thornhill, S. & Hampson, E. (2006). Entrepreneurs and evolutionary biology: The relationship between testosterone and new venture creation. Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 100, 21-34.
Post written by Christian Jarrett (@psych_writer) for the BPS Research Digest.
Link to testosterone-themed boxer shorts (thanks Mind Hacks).
- Testosterone-status Mismatch In A Group Is Linked With Reduced Collective Confidence
Men and women with more testosterone like to be in charge. Indeed, they can find it stressful and uncomfortable when denied the status that they crave. Similarly, people low in testosterone find it uncomfortable to be placed in positions of authority....
- Fetal Exposure To Testosterone Linked With Presence Of Autistic Traits In Childhood
The idea that autism may be the manifestation of an "extreme male brain" has received support from a study showing that higher levels of fetal exposure to testosterone are associated with the later presence of autistic traits in childhood. Bonnie Auyeung...
- Men's Dancing Style Determined In The Womb
If you dance like a deranged spinning top, blame your mother! Apparently, the way men dance is related to how much testosterone they were exposed to in the womb, as indicated by the relative lengths of their index and ring fingers. Previous research has...
- Incredibly Obvious Headline Of The Day
Testosterone May Affect Competitiveness NO! Really?? I did not know this. from APA online, Psychology in the News for the completely ignorant and uninformed: United Press International - November 30, 2006 AUSTIN, Texas, Nov 30,...
- Sex Cues Ruin Men's Decisiveness
...or so says the headline at Cosmopolitan, er uh BBC News. Brief summary below from Vaughan at Mind Hacks. Lingerie sharpens the financial mind According to recent news reports, the sight of lingerie or a sexy woman significantly impairs male decision...