Preliminary evidence that testosterone's association with aggression depends on self-construal.

A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. Previous research and theory suggest testosterone is an important hormone for modulating aggression and self-regulation. We propose that self-construal, a culturally-relevant difference in how individuals define the self in relation to others, may be an important moderator of the relationship between testosterone and behaviors linked to aggression. Within two studies (Study 1 N=80; Study 2 N=237) and an integrated data analysis, we find evidence suggesting that acute testosterone changes in men are positively associated with aggressive behavior for those with more independent self-construals, whereas basal testosterone is negatively associated with aggression when individuals have more interdependent self-construals. Although preliminary, these findings suggest that self-construal moderates the association between testosterone and aggression, thereby paving the way toward future work examining the potential cultural moderation of the behavioral effects of testosterone.

Anterior cingulate cortex gray matter volume mediates an association between 2D:4D ratio and trait aggression in women but not men.

Previous research demonstrates that prenatal testosterone exposure increases aggression, possibly through its effects on the structure and function of neural circuits supporting threat detection and emotion regulation. Here we examined associations between regional gray matter volume, trait aggression, and the ratio of the second and fourth digit of the hand (2D:4D ratio) as a putative index of prenatal testosterone exposure in 464 healthy young adult volunteers. Our analyses revealed a significant positive correlation between 2D:4D ratio and gray matter volume of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), a brain region supporting emotion regulation, conflict monitoring, and behavioral inhibition. Subsequent analyses demonstrated that reduced (i.e., masculinized) gray matter volume in the dACC mediated the relationship between 2D:4D ratio and aggression in women, but not men. Expanding on this gender-specific mediation, additional analyses demonstrated that the shared variance between 2D:4D ratio, dACC gray matter volume, and aggression in women reflected the tendency to engage in cognitive reappraisal of emotionally provocative stimuli. Our results provide novel evidence that 2D:4D ratio is associated with masculinization of dACC gray matter volume, and that this neural phenotype mediates, in part, the expression of trait aggression in women.