US EPA

7438357 

Journal Article 

Primate Personality and Behavioral Endocrinology 

Anestis, SF; , 

2011 

Springer New York 

New York, NY 

Personality and Temperament in Nonhuman Primates 

169-192 

10.1007/978-1-4614-0176-6_7 

WOS:000294382600007 

http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-1-4614-0176-6_7
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Although hormones are best known for their physiological functions, elegant studies in a variety of species have also demonstrated important effects of hormones on behavior (and vice versa: behavior's effects on hormone levels). Behavioral endocrinology is an exciting field because the relationship between hormones and behavior is complex and in many ways still poorly defined. Initial studies in primates focused primarily on associations between specific behaviors such as aggression or mating and hormones such as testosterone, cortisol, and progesterone. However, as primatologists began to recognize the importance of behavioral style variation and the influence of personality on all aspects of behavior, the physiological correlates of this variable also began gaining attention. In this review, I briefly discuss the mechanisms by which hormones affect behavior before reviewing important research on the role of hormones in maternal style, dominance relationships, and personality. I also discuss the practical and theoretical implications of the relationship between primate personalities and hormone levels. I suggest that this field could benefit from more research in two primary areas: first, the hormonally mediated costs and benefits of certain behavioral styles, and second, personality variation in wild primates and its endocrine correlates. 

Weiss, A; King, JE; Murray, L; 

978-1-4614-0175-9