Christoph Eisenegger
Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, University of Vienna
"The role of the testosterone in human social interaction"
About the talk
Hormones are assumed to have a powerful influence on our behavior, and the androgen hormone testosterone is believed to be associated with aggression. But does testosterone cause aggression in humans in similar ways, as it does in some non-human animal species? What other social behaviors does the hormone influence? My talk will shed light on recent progress in the area of human social neuroendocrinology by presenting data from genetic and salivary hormone studies as well as psychopharmacological studies using testosterone administration. Results show that the hormone is involved in the regulation of complex social behaviors ranging from fairness and cooperation to competitiveness and reactive aggression. It thus appears that the hormone´s role in human social interaction reaches way beyond its proclaimed simple role in promoting aggression.
About the speaker
Christoph studied neurobiology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich until 2004, and then did a PhD at the Economics Department at the University of Zurich until 2009. Between 2010 and 2013 he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge, with the support of two fellowships from the Swiss National Science Foundation (3 years). In 2014 he was appointed Assistant Professor and he is the head of a WWTF Vienna Research Group for Young Investigators at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna. Christoph's major research focus lies in the neurochemical basis of human social decision making. Besides the focus on testosterone, he investigates effects of the estrogen hormone estradiol, as well as neurotransmitter systems such as the dopamine and opioid systems. His research is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach connecting research areas such as behavioral economics and social psychology, with neuroscientific approaches such as neuroimaging and psychopharmacological drug challenges.