Dose of testosterone 'makes women less trusting'

London, May 25 (ANI): A dose of sex hormone testosterone can make women less trusting of men, claims a study.

But, according to the study's researchers, the effect only seems to be true for the more trusting members of society.

Tied to aggression and competitive behaviour, testosterone is produced by both sexes, although in much smaller quantities in women.

In the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, boffins found that when testosterone is administered as a small, one-off dose to female volunteers, their sense of trust towards strangers changes, but only if the women tend to be trusting in the first place.

The Independent reported, Jack van Honk of the University of Cape Town in South Africa suggested that testosterone may work in opposition to the "love" hormone oxytocin, which is produced for instance in women during childbirth and promotes social bonding and trust between individuals. (ANI)