Story perspectives

Testosterone Shows No General Risk Link, Lottery Exception.

5/12/2026

Summary

Story summary

The meta-analysis in *Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews* found no link between testosterone and risk-taking.
Researchers pooled 52 studies with 17,340 participants and reported an overall effect size essentially zero.
Only lottery-based economic tasks showed a modest positive association, with other risk measures showing none.
Authors Irene Sánchez Rodríguez, Luca Bailo, Folco Panizza, Emiliano Ricciardi, and Francesco Bossi concluded testosterone’s impact on risk is narrow, context-dependent, and method-specific for both sexes.

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Story summary

The meta-analysis in *Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews* found no link between testosterone and risk-taking.
Researchers pooled 52 studies with 17,340 participants and reported an overall effect size essentially zero.
Only lottery-based economic tasks showed a modest positive association, with other risk measures showing none.
Authors Irene Sánchez Rodríguez, Luca Bailo, Folco Panizza, Emiliano Ricciardi, and Francesco Bossi concluded testosterone’s impact on risk is narrow, context-dependent, and method-specific for both sexes.