Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/109679 
Year of Publication: 
2014
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 14-4
Publisher: 
University of California, Department of Economics, Davis, CA
Abstract: 
We correlate competitive bidding and profits in symmetric independent private value first-price auctions with salivary testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and cortisol in more than 200 subjects. Bids are significantly positively correlated and profits are significantly negatively correlated with basal salivary progesterone but only for females who do not use hormonal contraceptives. Surprisingly, we have null findings for basal testosterone, estradiol, and cortisol for both males and females. We show that our finding for progesterone is not mediated by risk aversion or bidding mistakes. No hormone responds to total profits in the auctions except for a small positive response of the stress hormone cortisol in males.
Subjects: 
auctions
gender
competition
aggression
risk-taking
endocrinological economics
JEL: 
C72
C91
C92
D44
D81
D87
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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