Testosterone, financial risk-taking, and pathological gambling.

Abstract

The current review article considers the relationship between testosterone and pathological gambling (PG). Recent evidence suggests that high-testosterone individuals have a greater appetite for financial risk-taking and are more likely to succumb to certain impulsivity-related pathologies. Further, two markers of androgenization have recently been shown to be predictive of financial risk-taking propensity, namely second-to-fourth digit length ratio and facial masculinity. Given that financial risktaking propensity and PG susceptibility share neurobiological and phenomenological similarities, it is argued in this review that circulating testosterone levels, second-tofourth digit length ratio, and facial masculinity may be predictors of PG susceptibility. Potential caveats and future research avenues are discussed.