The Effects Of Hormones On Social Behavior Essay

Anthropologist Margaret Mead addressed the differences in temperament found between men and women in her book Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935). In this study she concluded that sex has no bearing on social traits and the temperament of an individual. Her research looked at whether masculine or feminine traits are innate or learned. She also questioned whether men and women differ because of nature (heredity) or nurture (socialization). She concludes that cultural conditioning is more important than biology in shaping the behavior of women and men. The observed differences in temperament between men and women are not a function of their biological differences. Rather, they result from differences in the socialization

Gender differences have been recorded by researches from single neurons in the cell to system level processes (Cahill 2006), and certain scientists proposed that sex hormones influence the development of prefrontal cortex, and this is supposed to be the cause of the differences in working memory performance (Duff & Hampson, 2001). This study further investigated the existence and nature of this gender difference. A sample of 497 Monash University psychology undergraduates (385 females and 112 males; ages 18 – 64) were recruited for this study. Working memory performance was tested with online 'spatial working memory ' test, and 2D:4D finger length ratio was used as an indirect measure of sex hormone levels. The results revealed no sex differences in the working memory performance, but variance in 2D:4D ratio – females had a larger ratio than males. Memory reaction time was negatively correlated with 2D:4D ratio, thus, females had a quicker reaction time.

1. Neurons is a basic building block of the nervous system. The sensory nerves carry the message from body tissues to the brain and spinal chord to be processed. The motor neurons are then used to send instructions to the body tissue from the brain and spinal cord. Dendrites, which are connected to the body cell (soma) receive information and pass it through the axon. Myelin sheath covers the axon and helps speed the process. When triggered by a signals from our senses or other neurons, the neuron fires an impulse called the action potential. The resting potential is the neuron’s visual charge of positive

Another conscious process that Fredrickson discusses is how oxytocin is used in social relationships. This hormone makes people “attend more to eyes and become specifically more attuned to their smiles, especially subtle ones. Perhaps because of the closer attention you pay to people’s smiles and eyes, you become a better judge of their feelings” (Fredrickson 115). Although Fredrickson makes it seem that this is essential for happiness, she is

2) Explain the role of each of the following brain structures while driving a car.

Various reasons have been proven as to why people begin suffering from hair loss. Hormonal imbalance is vital to a healthy, cancer free mind and body but can be disrupted in many ways. It can be caused by things like toxins, menopause, perimenopause, or living an unbalanced lifestyle. A human’s hormonal cycle can and does vary at multiple different times in our lives, therefore allowing this to have a direct impact on the quality of hair. This phase is said to be very common and is able to occur in anyone's life. Hormonal imbalance is experienced by women many times during her pregnancy. During these nine months, as everyone may have already experienced, women’s hormones tend to be all over the place. Once she has given birth, those hormones

The endocrine system is a group of glands distributed throughout the human body. This group of glands secretes substances called hormones. These hormones are dumping into the bloodstream (Shier, Butler & Lewis, 2009). The endocrine system does not have a single anatomic location. It is dispersed throughout the human body. The final purpose of this process is to control, regulate, and coordinate the functioning of the human body. Some body functions can be activated or inhibited by hormones, which are secreted in very small quantities. The hormone related diseases may be due to hyper secretion, or a hypo secretion. The hormones secreted by the endocrine glands regulate growth, development and function of many tissues, and coordinate the

A study was conducted on monogamous prairie voles to examine the neural pathway that promotes the development of pair-bonding or close relationships between different species. Researchers used monogamous prairie voles for the experiment because they have established partners. Partner preference is a prerequisite for pair bonding but it does not define a pair bond. Only established when unfamiliar yet potential mates are aggressively rejected. Previous studies have shown that conduction of dopamine within the nucleus accumbens mediates both investigative and avoidance behaviors. Previous studies have demonstrated that partner preferences emerge after 24 hours of mating but not after 6 hours of cohabitation without mating. The neural pathway occurs within a specific region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. Within this brain region, there were two receptor activations that were identified; they were labeled D1 and D2.

In more recent years, there has been an increasing amount of literature on human and nonhuman primates that suggest an association between oxytocin levels and prosocial behaviors. In a fairly recent study done by Elizabeth A. Simpson and other colleagues at the National Institutes of Health in Poolesville, Maryland, they found that in both humans and macaques when a growing amount of oxytocin appears it enhances social attention and prosocial behaviors. Therefore the hormone oxytocin may be used as a tool for promoting social behaviors, especially in clinical populations in which social faculties are compromised. In Simpson's research, her and her team found that when oxytocin was tested in autistic individuals, it increased social attention and improved emotion recognition. The study clarified that the role of oxytocin in early development is critically important. Because, for example, when human infants are actively participating in face-to-face caregiver-infant interactions,

In one experiment after participants watched an emotionally charged movie about a father and son, Zak asked study participants to donate money to a stranger. With both oxytocin and cortisol in play, those who had the higher amounts of oxytocin were much more likely to give money to someone they’d never

However, there is a certain hormone that is an important part of having confidence in other people. It is called oxytocin. Oxytocin muffles the region in the brain that provides fear responses, and keeps the stress hormone from releasing. It causes people to “feel” connections with others. These connections, are usually unfounded, and superficial. In a study by René Hurlemann of the University of Bonn, it was found that when given an extra dosage of oxytocin, men in serious relationships noticeably kept their distance from other women. Single men however, had no reaction. This study is an example of how Oxytocin influences people to be more trustworthy and honest in their

"A sin is a sin no matter how you spin it to stroke someone's ego otherwise, and I'd rather be a puppet without a single string rather than a hound dragging their chains behind them scouring everywhere they pass through. Sure it's not human but I'll be damned if I let you take the vampire with ease"

“Goleman persuasively argues for a new social model of intelligence drawn from the emerging field of social neuroscience. Describing what happens to our brains when we connect with others, Goleman demonstrates how relationships have the power to mold not only human experience but also human biology. In lucid prose he describes from a neurobiological perspective sexual attraction, marriage, parenting, psychopathic behaviors and the group dynamics of teachers and workers. Goleman frames his discussion in a critique of society 's creeping disconnection in the age of the iPod, constant digital connectivity and multitasking. Vividly evoking the power of social interaction to influence mood and brain chemistry, Goleman discusses the "toxicity" of insult and unpleasant social experience as he warns of the dangers of self-absorption and poor attention and reveals the positive effects of feel-good neurochemicals that are released in loving relationships and in caregiving. Drawing on numerous studies, Goleman illuminates new theories about attachment, bonding, and the making and remaking of memory as he examines how our brains are wired for altruism,

Human growth hormone, a substance produced in the human body, is now being sold over the Internet. Companies are marketing the product as an anti-aging product. At the web-site, http://www.awakenhgh.com, the company claims that there is a possibility that one can "stop the aging process." On the home page, they claim that the product can reduce fat and cellulite, increase energy and muscle tone, elevate mood, improve sexual performance and sleep, remove wrinkles, balance cholesterol, re-grow and re-color hair, and more. The product is a dietary oral spray that they claim contains a product that is "identical to the growth hormone manufactured in the human body" and is designed for oral consumption. They also

Human behavior has been a mystery to scientists and psychologists for years. What causes humans to act the way they do? Is it learned by experience, or inherited from prior generations? The human brain is a complex machine driven by numerous intangibles that influence our thinking process directly and indirectly.