Given that MAO-A degrades amine neurotransmitters, gene variants could affect a person's personality or behaviour. When faced with social exclusion or ostracism, individuals with the low activity "MAO-A" variants showed higher levels of aggression than individuals with the high activity "MAO-A" gene. Low activity MAO-A could significantly predict aggressive behaviour in a high provocation situation, but was less associated with aggression in a low provocation situation. Individuals with the low activity variant of the "MAO-A" gene were just as likely as participants with the high activity variant to retaliate (by administering hot sauce to an opponent) when the loss was small. However, they were more likely (75% as opposed to 62%, out of a sample size of 70) to retaliate and with greater force when the loss was large.