Cheating Is Driven By Cortisol, Not Testosterone
The topic of macho behavior and its apparent mediator testosterone has been studies every since steroids were discovered. The mainstream dogma states that high testosterone drives cheating behavior (especially of males) as some sort of dominance-asserting behavior of genetically superior...
The hormones testosterone and cortisol influence unethical behavior, study finds
Hormones play a two-part role in encouraging and reinforcing cheating and other unethical behavior, according to research from Harvard University and The ...
“Elevated testosterone decreases the fear of punishment while increasing sensitivity to reward. Elevated cortisol is linked to an uncomfortable state of chronic stress that can be extremely debilitating,” Josephs said. “Testosterone furnishes the courage to cheat, and elevated cortisol provides a reason to cheat.”
Additionally, participants who cheated showed lowered levels of cortisol and reported reductions in emotional distress after the test, as if cheating provided some sort of stress relief.
“The stress reduction is accompanied by a powerful stimulation of the reward centers in the brain, so these physiological psychological changes have the unfortunate consequence of reinforcing the unethical behavior,” Josephs said.