Testosterone Does Not Increase Aggression - The Myth
In contrary to popular belief that has been circulated by Hollywood or mainstream media's pop psychology, testosterone does not increase aggression. This effect may be true when it comes to animals, but when it comes to humans, increase in testosterone level, actually, decreases aggression. This myth has been contradicted in recent studies with placebo - the false cultural belief about testosterone is so strong that people who were given fake testosterone pills started behaving aggressively and egocentricaly, while those who were actually given testosterone started acting more friendly and considerately towards the others.
Testosterone, that exists both in men and women, is responsible for many important physical characteristics such as muscle growth or bone density. Right after birth our bodies produce very large amounts of testosterone which progressively decreases to very tiny level by four to six months of age. The levels starts to increase again when we begin our puberty.
Researchers from University of Pisa conducted the study on two groups of people: the Love Group with those who within previous six months had been romantically infatuated with someone, and the Control Group with those who were single or in long-term relationship. They found out that testosterone levels between males in Love Group were lower than in Control Group, while women in Love Group had higher levels than those in Control Group. The result highlights that, depending on the stage of relationship, the testosterone levels between sexes appeared to balance each other. This discovery suggests that these differences help in finding emotional stability between the partners.
References:
"Hormonal changes when falling in love.", University of Pisa 2016.
"Testosterone does not induce aggression.", University of Zurich, 2009.
"Testosterone deficiency: myth, facts, and controversy.", Collaboration, 2001.
"Prejudice and truth about the effect of testosterone on human bargaining behaviour", Nature, 2012.
"Strange but True: Testosterone Alone Does Not Cause Violence", Scientific American, 2007.
"Effects of Testosterone on Mood, Aggression, and Sexual Behavior in Young Men: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Study", Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2004.
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