Thus, after factoring out rank, lower basal glucocorticoid levels are found in males who are best at telling the difference between threatening and neutral interactions; who take the initiative if the situation clearly is threatening; who are best at telling whether they won or lost; and, in the latter case, who are most likely to make someone else pay for the defeat. This echoes some of the themes from the chapter on psychological stress. The males who were coping best (at least by this endocrine measure) had high degrees of social control (initiating the fights), predictability (they can
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