Does testosterone predict pathogen disgust sensitivity? Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from three diverse developmental and endocrine contexts

Testosterone has been hypothesized to help explain sex differences in pathogen disgust sensitivity (PDS), which is a measure of how intensely one experiences disgust toward pathogen threats. Guided by the sexual selection framework, researchers have theorized testosterone may downregulate PDS to facilitate mating effort. Yet, this relationship remains largely untested outside women samples. The present study (total N = 355) assessed salivary testosterone and PDS in three distinct populations: A sample of adults from Boston including 1) cisgender men ( N = 116), 2) transmasculine adults on hormone therapy ( N = 30), and 3) a longitudinal sample of juveniles and adolescents from Utila, Honduras ( N = 209; 119 girls). Across all cohorts, testosterone showed no significant associations with PDS. Collectively, we found no evidence that testosterone levels meaningfully shape PDS, regardless of developmental stage, route, or level of hormone exposure.