The role of testosterone in odor-based perceptions of social status

Awareness of the social status of conspecifics is crucial for members of social species, including humans. Given that testosterone is thought to promote status motivation in humans and may also alter body odor, the present study investigates whether perceptions of social status can be influenced by body odor cues associated with testosterone. Male scent donors ( N = 74) provided salivary testosterone samples and scent samples from worn T-shirts. Raters ( N = 797) smelled the worn shirts and provided ratings of the odor quality and the perceived social status of the wearer (i.e., perceived dominance, perceived prestige). Scent donors' self-rated dominance and prestige, as well as raters' perceptions of prestige, were not significantly associated with scent donor's testosterone levels. However, raters' perceptions of dominance were positively associated with the scent donors' testosterone levels. These findings suggest that hormonally based odor cues contribute to perceptions of dominance and may serve as one channel through which information about social status and personality is communicated.