Telling the Truth with Testosterone

Have you ever heard a woman complain about a man’s insensitivity? Or, perhaps, you even are a woman who’ve been on the receiving end of a man’s brutal honesty? There’s actually a good explanation to why men behave in this way – and it’s actually a good thing!

The Role of Testosterone in Men

Testosterone is a hormone that exist in men and women alike and affects a lot of different functions in the body. It aids in things muscle growth, social behaviour, and emotional regulation. Women tend to have a significantly lower amount of testosterone than men, resulting in lower muscle mass and a lot of different behavioural and emotional differences. Some of these differences include the ability to be indifferent of other people’s opinions about one self (or in female terms: insensitivity to other’s feelings).

The Role of Testosterone in Women

Just like in men, testosterone regulates muscle mass, social behaviour, and emotions – women just have much less of it. For women, e.g. one of the effects an increase in testosterone have on them is reduced likelihood of crying.

Prosocial- and Strategic Behaviour

One study that explored how an increase in testosterone affected the participating males concluded that an increase in testosterone decreased prosocial behaviour in the men. This means that men who had their testosterone raised simply didn’t care what the surrounding thought about their opinions, or in other words, decreased lying. Testosterone seems to reduce conformity to social expectations and social anxiety and instead promotes behaviours related to dominance.

Sexual Mimicry and Reduced Testosterone

So, what happens when you instead reduce a man’s testosterone levels?

It seems like pretty much the opposite of an increase in testosterone: rincreased “prosocial behavior” (i.e. less honesty = more lying). Men who lower their testosterone levels also are more prosocial and generally care more about what the social situation thinks of them.

Sexual Mimicry is an extreme when the lowering of testosterone in a man pivots his behaviour into a more female-like behaviour.

Current Events and Testosterone

Unfortunately we’ve had a lot of examples of young men who, voluntarily, have been reducing their testosterone levels in some kind of “transfer”. In addition, we’ve seen a steady decrease in testosterone on a societal- or global scale. The end result of this reduction will be felt as men world-wide are less and less staying true to themselves and, instead, conform to social pressure.

Currently, we’re seeing testosterone levels dropping all over the world, perhaps most significantly in the West, affecting sperm count- and quality. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed, as more and more young men exhibits lower testosterone levels, we have fewer men who’re able to stand up and say no to crazy. Whatever one might think of the men who stand up, they’re incredibly important to the well-being of a society.


What do you think about the role of testosterone: Does it really make men more brutally honest; and are women, in general, more prone to white lies?

2024-07-13 11:02

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