Competitiveness is an essential feature of human social interactions. In an era of increasingly selective educational programs, vigorous races for career promotion, and a scarcity of high-paying jobs, opportunities for success come disproportionately to those who embrace competition. To date, research on the underlying biological factors that contribute to individual differences in competitive preferences remains poorly understood, and has focused almost exclusively on the sex-hormone testosterone.

A new study by Boaz Cherki and Dr. Salomon Israel from the department of psychology and Prof. Eyal Winter from the department of economics, show an important role of the hormone oxytocin – a key regulator of human social behavior and cognition – on the motivation to engage in competition.

In the study, 204 subjects participated in an experiment that gauged their preference to compete with others. The researchers showed that changes in testosterone levels during the task predicted which participants were more likely to choose to compete against others. Male participants showing rises in testosterone levels showed a greater preferenence to engage in competition, even after accounting for other well known factors such as their performance in the task, self-confidence, and risk tolerance. Interestingly, intranasal administration of the hormone oxytocin, cancelled out this effect. This interaction between testosterone reactivity and oxytocin on competitive motitvation was specific to males only, as oxytocin had no effect on females. These findings deepen our understanding of the complex biological mechanisms underlying human preferences for competition, and suggest an important new role of oxytocin in regulating the effects of other hormones in modulating social behavior.

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