The Testosterone Paradox

What creates the differences between the sexes? Many would point to culture, and my guest today would agree that culture certainly shapes us. But she’d also argue that at the core of the divergence of the sexes, and in particular, of how men think and behave, is one powerful hormone: testosterone.

Her name is Dr. Carole Hooven, and she’s a Harvard biologist and the author of T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone That Dominates and Divides Us. Today on the show, Carole explains the arguments that are made against testosterone’s influence on shaping men into men, and why she doesn’t think they hold water. She then unpacks the argument for how testosterone does function as the driving force in sex differences, and how it fundamentally shapes the bodies and minds of males. We delve into where T is made, how much of it men have compared to women, and what historical cases of castration tell us about the centrality of testosterone in male development. We then discuss how T shapes males, starting in the womb, and going into puberty and beyond, before turning to its influence in athletic performance. We end our conversation with Carole’s impassioned plea for celebrating what’s great about men.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• AoM Podcast #86: Demonic Males With Richard Wrangham
• AoM series on testosterone
• AoM Podcast #336: Master Your Testosterone
• AoM series on status
• AoM Podcast #756: How the Desire for Status Explains (Pretty Much) Everything
• AoM series on the origins and nature of manhood

Connect With Carole Hooven

• Carole’s Website
• Carole on Twitter