Testosterone levels affect men's perception of women even when they are 'appropriately' dressed, reveals study
A groundbreaking study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology sheds new light on the role of testosterone in shaping men's perceptions of women, revealing how even non-sexualized women can fall victim to dehumanization.
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FollowA groundbreaking study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology sheds new light on the role of testosterone in shaping men's perceptions of women, revealing how even non-sexualized women can fall victim to dehumanization. Traditionally, women in revealing outfits have been dehumanized based on sexualization, but researchers have now discovered that a surge in testosterone can prompt men to dehumanize women, even when they are dressed conservatively. This finding underscores how physiological shifts—specifically heightened testosterone—can distort how men view women, regardless of sexualization cues.
Dehumanization is a deeply harmful psychological process where individuals are stripped of their intrinsic humanity, often denying them emotions and moral depth. Prior research has demonstrated that sexualization heavily influences the dehumanization of women, with both men and women more likely to dehumanize those in revealing attire. However, little was known about whether physiological factors like testosterone could be a direct contributor to this behavior.
“Research in social psychology has shown that sexualized women are often dehumanized—meaning they are attributed fewer human qualities. This process can have extremely negative consequences for women’s wellbeing, because dehumanized women are more likely to become victims of sexual or physical aggression and are more likely to be victim-blamed as well,” explained Francesca Luberti, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at Nipissing University.
Intrigued by the complex interplay between hormones and perception, the research team sought to uncover whether rising testosterone levels could trigger dehumanization, even in the absence of overt sexual cues.
In a meticulously designed experiment, 120 healthy men, aged 18 to 38, participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The participants, primarily heterosexual and free of conditions that could influence hormone levels, attended two sessions spaced two weeks apart. In one session, they received a dose of testosterone via nasal gel, and in the other, they were given a placebo.
The participants then watched videos featuring the same woman dressed either conservatively or provocatively. The woman answered neutral, interview-style questions, allowing the researchers to isolate the effects of testosterone on dehumanization. The men then engaged in tasks designed to assess various forms of dehumanization, including emotion-based and personality-based measures.
The results were startling. Elevated testosterone levels specifically heightened emotion-based dehumanization toward the conservatively dressed woman. Participants who had taken testosterone were less likely to attribute uniquely human emotions, such as hope or remorse, to the conservatively dressed woman. In stark contrast, testosterone did not exacerbate dehumanization toward the sexualized woman—she was dehumanized regardless of hormone levels, suggesting that sexualization alone was sufficient to trigger this reaction.
“We were definitely surprised to find that testosterone did not further increase emotion-based dehumanization toward a sexualized woman, as we had predicted, but instead led to the emotion-based dehumanization of a non-sexualized woman,” Luberti told PsyPost.
Interestingly, testosterone did not seem to impact other forms of dehumanization, such as personality-based judgments or perceptual recognition of the woman’s face. This nuanced result suggests that testosterone’s influence may be specific to emotional perception, adding another layer of complexity to how men perceive women.
“We found that, if the target woman was sexualized, men engaged in emotion-based dehumanization toward her regardless of their testosterone levels, but if she was not sexualized, they only engaged in this form of dehumanization when their testosterone levels were elevated by a single dose of intranasal testosterone,” Luberti further elaborated.
The research points to testosterone as a powerful factor in emotion-based dehumanization, but it is only part of a larger puzzle. Socio-cultural factors, combined with physiological changes, likely play a significant role in shaping men’s perceptions of women. Luberti emphasized the need for future research to explore other aspects of dehumanization, such as attributions of agency, and to examine how different populations may be affected.
“While this experiment provides new evidence that testosterone may contribute to men’s emotion-based dehumanization of women, it is important to highlight the fact that testosterone is just one factor,” she stated. “To fully understand the mechanisms behind the dehumanization of women, it will be essential to consider how several physiological and socio-cultural factors interact with each other to shape this behavior.”
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