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Category: Project

Description: Testosterone (T) fluctuates in response to competitive social interactions with the direction of change typically depending on factors such as contest outcome. Remote or live viewing of a competition may be sufficient to activate T among fans and others who are invested in the outcome. Here we test patterns of T reactivity to the vicarious experience of competition among combat athletes viewing a teammate win or lose. Further, we test whether the participant’s level of social identification with their team predicts individual differences in reactivity patterns. Methods: Twenty-six combat athletes completed a social identity questionnaire on a neutral day. Later, salivary samples (assayed for T) were obtained before and after athletes viewed a video recording of a teammate engaged in a formal combative contest that resulted in a win or loss. Results: T reactivity to viewing a teammate compete varied among participants in both the magnitude and direction of change independent of contest outcome. Individual differences in cognitive centrality, a core feature of social identity, showed a strong positive relationship with T reactivity, particularly if their teammate won.