Ladies, raise your hand if you’ve had a discussion with a man and he’s clearly wrong about something. He knows he’s wrong, you know he’s wrong but he just won’t admit it.
Well, science says there is a reason for that.
A study reveals that testosterone makes men less likely to question their impulses, thus making them less likely to fess up about being incorrect.
Research from Caltech, the Wharton School, Western University and ZRT Laboratory delved into the phenomenon and determined that men heavily rely on intuitive judgment when it comes to making decisions. Their testosterone also reduces their cognitive reflection, which makes them think they’re right even when they’re wrong.
“What we found was the testosterone group was quicker to make snap judgments on brain teasers where your initial guess is usually wrong,” says Caltech’s Robert Kirby Professor of Behavioral Economics and T&C Chen Center for Social and Decision Neuroscience Leadership Chair, Colin Camerer. “The testosterone is either inhibiting the process of mentally checking your work or increasing the intuitive feeling that ‘I’m definitely right.'”
The study goes on to say that a lot of the male perspective when it comes to right and wrong has a lot to do with confidence because, duh.
“We think it works through confidence enhancement. If you’re more confident, you’ll feel like you’re right and will not have enough self-doubt to correct mistakes,” Camerer says.
So next time you’re arguing with your man and he just can’t own up to being on the wrong side of right, don’t blame him, blame science.