Associations between success and failure in a face-to-face competition and psychobiological parameters in young women

Within an evolutionary framework, in recent years some questions have been raised about whether women have a pattern of psychobiological response to social stress similar to that described in men. The main objective of this study was to analyze women's patterns of neuroendocrine, cardiovascular and mood responses to an individual competitive task, taking into account the outcome obtained. For this purpose, we measured salivary testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP), in addition to mood changes, in 40 healthy young women before, during and after a face-to-face laboratory competition. We also assessed some relevant psychological traits. Our results indicate that women who became winners presented greater T and positive mood increases, together with higher cardiovascular (CV) responses, than those who lost and did not show significant changes during the period studied. These results suggest a biological and psychological pattern of response to a laboratory competition differentially associated with outcome. Furthermore, these findings suggest that women who are involved in competitive situations, use both passive and active coping strategies, which can be explained by integrating the existing hypotheses.