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Low second-to-fourth digit ratio predicts indiscriminate social suspicion, not improved trustworthiness detection

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  • Bonnefon, Jean-François
  • De Neys, Wim
  • Hopfensitz, Astrid

Abstract

Testosterone administration appears to make individuals less trusting, and this effect was interpreted as an adaptive adjustment of social suspicion, that improved the accuracy of trusting decisions. Here we consider another possibility, namely that testosterone increases the subjective cost of being duped, decreasing the propensity to trust without improving the accuracy of trusting decisions. In line with this hypothesis, we show that second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D, a proxy for organising effects of testosterone in the foetus) correlates with the propensity to trust but not with the accuracy of trusting decisions. Trust game players (N=144) trusted less when they had lower 2D:4D (high prenatal testosterone), but their ability to detect the strategy of other players was constant (and better than chance) across all levels of digit ratio. Our results suggest that early prenatal organizing effects of testoterone in the foetus might impair rather than boost economic outcomes, by promoting indiscriminate social suspicion.

Suggested Citation

  • Bonnefon, Jean-François & De Neys, Wim & Hopfensitz, Astrid, 2013. "Low second-to-fourth digit ratio predicts indiscriminate social suspicion, not improved trustworthiness detection," TSE Working Papers 13-385, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    • Handle: RePEc:tse:wpaper:26982
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    1. C. Eisenegger & M. Naef & R. Snozzi & M. Heinrichs & E. Fehr, 2010. "Prejudice and truth about the effect of testosterone on human bargaining behaviour," Nature, Nature, vol. 463(7279), pages 356-359, January.
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    6. Bonnefon, Jean-François & De Neys, Wim & Hopfensitz, Astrid, 2012. "The Modular Nature of Trustworthiness Detection," TSE Working Papers 12-311, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    7. Jack van Honk & Estrella R. Montoya & Peter A. Bos & Mark van Vugt & David Terburg, 2012. "New evidence on testosterone and cooperation," Nature, Nature, vol. 485(7399), pages 4-5, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Brañas-Garza, Pablo & Espín, Antonio M. & Garcia, Teresa & Kovářík, Jaromír, 2018. "Digit ratio (2D:4D) predicts pro-social behavior in economic games only for unsatisfied individuals," MPRA Paper 86166, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. De Neys, Wim & Hopfensitz, Astrid & Bonnefon, Jean-François, 2015. "Adolescents gradually improve at detecting trustworthiness from the facial features of unknown adults," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 17-22.
    3. Boris van Leeuwen & Charles N. Noussair & Theo Offerman & Sigrid Suetens & Matthijs van Veelen & Jeroen van de Ven, 2018. "Predictably Angry—Facial Cues Provide a Credible Signal of Destructive Behavior," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(7), pages 3352-3364, July.
    4. Jaeger, Bastian & Oud, Bastiaan & Williams, Tony & Krumhuber, Eva G. & Fehr, Ernst & Engelmann, Jan B., 2022. "Can people detect the trustworthiness of strangers based on their facial appearance?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 43(4), pages 296-303.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • D87 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Neuroeconomics

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