Neural markers of social dominance: A female-focused perspective

Abstract

Summary: Social interactions are fundamental to human life, with social dominance being a key factor in these interactions. Previous studies have shown that dominant males are faster in decision-making tasks compared to non-dominant ones, even in the absence of a social context such as competition. Additionally, dominant males exhibit a significantly higher N2/P2 EEG component, which is an inherent trait rather than a state marker of dominance. While it has been suggested that social hierarchies are more pronounced among males, recent findings challenge this notion. Here, we show that the N2/P2 component is also higher in dominant than in less dominant females, with similar amplitude and latency as their male counterparts. Our results suggest that women exhibit dominance-related neurobiological traits similar to men. Our findings underscore the importance of further investigating the socio-cultural and environmental factors that contribute to gender disparities in social hierarchies.

Keywords

• neuroscience
• behavioral neuroscience
• cognitive neuroscience