Basal and dynamic relationships between implicit power motivation and estradiol in women

Abstract

This study investigated basal and reciprocal relationships between implicit power motivation (n Power), a preference for having impact and dominance over others, and both salivary estradiol and testosterone in women. 49 participants completed the Picture Story Exercise, a measure of n Power. During a laboratory contest, participants competed in pairs on a cognitive task and contest outcome (win vs. loss) was experimentally varied. Estradiol and testosterone levels were determined in saliva samples collected at baseline and several times post-contest, including 1 day post-contest. n Power was positively associated with basal estradiol concentrations. The positive correlation between n Power and basal estradiol was stronger in single women, women not taking oral contraceptives, or in women with low-CV estradiol samples than in the overall sample of women. Women's estradiol responses to a dominance contest were influenced by the interaction of n Power and contest outcome: estradiol increased in power-motivated winners but decreased in power-motivated losers. For power-motivated winners, elevated levels of estradiol were still present the day after the contest. Lastly, n Power and estradiol did not correlate with self-reported dominance and correlated negatively with self-reported aggression. Self-reported dominance and aggression did not predict estradiol changes as a function of contest outcome. Overall, n Power did not predict basal testosterone levels or testosterone changes as a function of dominance contest outcome.

Figure 1

Correlation of basal salivary estradiol measurements at T1 (0 min) and T2 (52 min).

Figure 2

Correlation between n Power and basal salivary estradiol (average of T1 and T2).

Figure 3

Correlations between n Power and basal salivary estradiol (average of T1 and T2). Panel A depicts the correlations for groups of high (dashed line) and low (solid line) estradiol measurement error (CV). Panel B depicts the correlations for women who do (solid line) and do not (dashed line) use oral contraceptives. Panel C depicts the correlations for the single women (dashed line) and for women in close relationships (solid line).

Figure 4

Estradiol residuals (average post-contest estradiol (T4, T5, & T6) adjusted for pre-contest estradiol (T3)) as a function of n Power and contest outcome for participants in the low-CV group (N = 25). The contest losers are represented by the dashed line and the winners by the solid line.

Figure 5

Estradiol residuals (day-after contest estradiol (T7) adjusted for pre-contest estradiol (T3)) as a function of n Power and contest outcome for participants in the low-CV group (N = 24). The contest losers are represented by the dashed line and the winners by the solid line.