Testosterone changes in couples in response to a caregiving task with an infant simulator.
Published in Human Nature, 2026
In the current study, we assessed the role of caregiving in testosterone reactivity by examining whether and how testosterone changed in romantic partners as they jointly cared for an “infant simulator,” a lifelike doll designed to mimic many of the behaviors of a real infant. Our findings suggest that those with more caregiving experience or who had more positive expectations about parenting were more easily able to lean into nurturance, perhaps leading to testosterone declines.
Recommended citation: Brandon, R., From, A., Reynaga, M., Devine, H., Gordon, A. M., & Edelstein, R. S. (2026). Testosterone changes in couples in response to a caregiving task with an infant simulator. Human Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-026-09520-5.
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