Androstadienone, a putative chemosignal of dominance, increases gaze avoidance among men with high social anxiety

In order to efficiently navigate the social world, humans possess a crucial ability to interpret social dominance cues (Chiao, 2010). Nonetheless, some individuals are more attuned to cues of dominance than others. Studies have shown that individuals with social anxiety show increased sensitivity to dominance signals as compared to individuals without social anxiety (Maner et al., 2008a,b; Aderka et al., 2013; Haker et al., 2014; Banner& Shamay-Tsoory, 2018b). Socially anxious individuals are preoccupied with the impression they make and place fundamental importance on being positively appraised by others.
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research