Nail-biters and thrashing wins: Testosterone responses of football fans during World Cup matches.

Two main hypotheses have been formulated to explain short-term testosterone responses to competitions. The challenge hypothesis and the biosocial model of status make different predictions concerning the point of time, direction, and meaning of hormonal changes. This field study investigated whether testosterone reacts to experiences of challenge during the early stages of a competition or to experiences of status change as a consequence of the competition's outcome. Over a period of 28 days, approximately 2000 salivary testosterone samples were collected from 82 football fans (53% men), while they were watching the matches of their favorite national team during the 2014 World Cup. Conducting repeated measurements across seven competitive events (i.e., matches) and over the course of each match allowed us to split vicarious experiences during each competition into phases of challenge and phases of status change. For both sexes, the results revealed discriminable testosterone trajectories depending on whether the fans experienced highly competitive matches or quick victories. By use of a discontinuous change model, maximal testosterone increases were detected during experiences of challenge. In contrast, a return to pre-contest baseline testosterone levels was initiated as soon as a status gain became certain. Testosterone responsiveness was partly moderated by the subjective importance of the competitive event. Thus, this study provides evidence in favor of the challenge hypothesis and emphasizes the value of conducting high-resolution within-subject designs to further explain the adaptive meaning of androgen responses.