Testosterone inhibits ability to admit wrongdoing (so says science)

If the vast majority of battles with your brother or boyfriend boil down to their inability to admit they’re wrong, you’re not alone.

And while stubbornness and inflexibility are far from specific to one gender, a recent study has revealed that the presence of testosterone has a lot to do with an individual’s belief they are right… even when they are wrong.

According to professor of Behavioural Economics at Caltech, Colin Camerer, high levels of testosterone can prevent an individual from questioning themselves, and can cause a spike in confidence levels.

Dividing a group of individuals in half, scientists administered testosterone to one while leaving the other without.

Those who were high in testosterone answered 20 per cent fewer questions correctly than the other group, and ultimately struggled to reach the right answer.

"What we found was the testosterone group was quicker to make snap judgments on brain teasers where your initial guess is usually wrong,” he explained.

“The testosterone is either inhibiting the process of mentally checking your work or increasing the intuitive feeling that 'I'm definitely right.”

“If you’re more confident, you’ll feel like you’re right and will not have enough self-doubt to correct mistake,” Professor Camerer added.