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Testosterone
The Link Between Testosterone and Happiness
A surge in testosterone after winning sheds light on the joy of victory.
Posted August 29, 2024 Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano
When a woman or man wins a bet, when their team wins a football game, they experience a surge in testosterone (not only a male hormone) and a spurt of happiness. What does this tell us about our evolutionary psychology?
Animal Behavior and the Home-Turf Advantage
Territorial species provide good insight into the behavioral and psychological impacts of testosterone. During the breeding season, testosterone levels increase. Some male birds establish a breeding territory from which they repel other males; some female birds are also territorial.
When the bird is on its home turf, it evidently feels more confident and is more likely to win a contest with another male there than on another bird's territory. In human sporting competitions, there is also a home turf advantage, which is complemented by fan support.
The parallels do not end there. When a bird wins a territorial contest, its testosterone rises, and that likely boosts its confidence level. Conversely, the testosterone level of the loser falls, possibly motivating it to stay away. A similar pattern is observed in human testosterone levels as a function of sports wins and losses.
Research on Sports Success
In soccer matches, testosterone rises in female winners and falls in the losers. Similar results are produced for male sports competitors in individual sports like tennis as well as in team sports.
The increase in testosterone production for human winners is associated with a boost in confidence and social status that increases the likelihood of future success. Winning in sports competitions produces positive emotions associated with the testosterone spurt. Winners experience relief or a reduction of the anxiety and uncertainty with which competitions often begin. They also express great jubilation, whether in words or body language.
Winning is joyful and increased testosterone could play a role. So, men who get testosterone treatment experience a reduction in depressive symptoms. In their case, testosterone makes them happier than they were. The same is true of women receiving testosterone treatment for low libido.
Sports fans have similar (vicarious) experiences as the players. Male fans of winning teams experience a surge in testosterone production. Fans of losing teams manifest a decline in testosterone levels. It is not clear whether the findings apply to female fans.
The vicarious effects of sports competition offer a window into the social importance of sports, particularly in a world where ever more events are followed on TV and the Internet.
When it comes to sports competition, fans “lose” about as often as they “win.” If losing is a downer, people must come to terms with disappointment.
We Lose as Often as We Win: Gender Differences in Coping Strategy
When we win, or when our team wins, we may experience increased testosterone production. Yet, in most sports, we are about as likely to lose as to win. How do competitors, and their fans, cope with the dejection, loss of confidence, and loss of self-esteem that is associated with declining testosterone output?
Sports psychologists devote considerable time and effort to this issue. If a competitor is not good at handling losses, then they may not be suited to a career in competitive sports. Good competitors recognize that some disappointment comes with the territory and do not let any single event dent their self-confidence and motivation to win.
The same reasoning applies to both the individual competitor and to fans who support the team through thick and thin.
Research on personality finds that men score higher on traits indicative of joy, whereas women are more oriented towards managing risks to themselves and to people they care about. This finding suggests that there would be a gender difference in responses to victory and defeat.
Gender Differences in Emotional Reactions to Victory and Defeat
Victors experience joyful exuberance, and their social status and confidence increase, whether they are female or male.
Yet, there are many reasons for expecting gender differences in the impact of testosterone relative to winning and losing. Men produce substantially more testosterone than women do, and this might be related to the finding that men score higher on positive emotionality in personality tests.
Men produce testosterone mostly (95 percent) in their testes, whereas female testosterone is substantially from the adrenal glands as well as from the ovaries, with half being synthesized outside of these endocrine glands. These physiological distinctions suggest that testosterone could have different functions in women than in men.
Testosterone is correlated with male risk-taking which could increase their reproductive success in the context of short-term mating competition. Testosterone increases risk-taking partly by elevating mood. Women, like other female vertebrates, practice greater caution—an evolutionary strategy that favors the survival of offspring.
However, in modern environments, as female economic and sports competition rises, so does female risk-taking. For both sexes, the joy of winning is associated with an increase in testosterone production.
