It would have been nice if they had mentioned my own research on vicarious experience of winning and testosterone changes. That is particularly relevant since the winner is really the candidate and those workers close to him or her. The rest are just observers on the sideline, contributing little directly to the outcome, like spectators at the sporting event. But, by virtue of being a fan of the team, or of the party that won, we would expect to see a change in testosterone similar to the actual contestants. That is what we found in fans of basketball teams and soccer teams in two studies. Citation and abstract:
Testosterone changes during vicarious experiences of winning and losing among fans at sporting events. Authors: Bernhardt, Paul C., U Utah, Dept of Educational Psychology, Salt Lake City, UT, US Dabbs, James M., Jr. Fielden, Julie A. Lutter, Candice D. Source: Physiology & Behavior, Vol 65(1), Aug, 1998. pp. 59-62. Abstract: Basking in reflected glory, in which individuals increase their self-esteem by identifying with successful others, is usually regarded as a cognitive process that can affect behavior. It may also involve physiological processes, including changes in the production of endocrine hormones. The present research involved two studies of changes in testosterone levels among fans watching their favorite sports teams win or lose. In the first study, participants were eight male fans attending a basketball game between traditional college rivals. In the second study, participants were 21 male fans watching a televised World Cup soccer match between traditional international rivals. Participants provided saliva samples for testosterone assay before and after the contest. In both studies, mean testosterone level increased in the fans of winning teams and decreased in the fans of losing teams. These findings suggest that watching one's heroes win or lose has physiological consequences that extend beyond changes in mood and self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Paul C Bernhardt Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD, USA pcbernhardt[at]frostburg[d0t]edu On Nov 1, 2010, at 11:20 AM, Pollak, Edward wrote: > > > Rising to the Occasion: Pornography and Politics > > > Complete article at http://ow.ly/32w4G > > > from the Economist > When Barack Obama won the American presidency in 2008 his supporters cheered, > cried, hugged--and in many cases logged onto their computers to look at > pornography. And, lest Republicans crow about the decadence of their > opponents, precisely the obverse happened when their man won in 2004. > That, at least, is the conclusion of a study by Patrick Markey of Villanova > University, in Pennsylvania, and his wife Charlotte, who works at Rutgers, in > New Jersey. The Markeys were looking for confirmation of a phenomenon called > the challenge hypothesis. This suggests that males involved in a competition > will experience a rise in testosterone levels if they win, and a fall if they > lose. > The challenge hypothesis was first advanced to explain the mating behaviour > of monogamous birds. In these species, males' testosterone levels increase in > the spring, to promote aggression against potential rivals. When the time > comes for the males to settle down and help tend their young, their > testosterone falls, along with their aggressive tendencies. > > Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. > Department of Psychology > West Chester University of Pennsylvania > http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/home.htm > Office Hours: Mondays 12-2 & 3-4 p.m.; Tuesdays & Thursdays 8-9 a.m. & > 12:30-2 p.m. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, & bluegrass fiddler...... in > approximate order of importance. > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13441.4e79e96ebb5671bdb50111f18f263003&n=T&l=tips&o=6160 > (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) > or send a blank email to > leave-6160-13441.4e79e96ebb5671bdb50111f18f263...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=6164 or send a blank email to leave-6164-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
