Episode 47: The Truth About Testosterone

Testosterone is one of the most misunderstood and maligned hormones in the human body. It gets blamed for toxic masculinity, sexual assault, aggression, and more. That’s why this episode of the Sex and Psychology podcast covers what you really need to know about testosterone and how it affects us.

I spoke with Dr. Carole Hooven, who is a lecturer and codirector of undergraduate studies in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. She earned her PhD at Harvard, studying sex differences and testosterone, and has taught there ever since. Dr. Hooven is the author of the fascinating new book T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us.

Some of the topics we explore in this episode include:

• To what extent are sex differences a product of hormones and biology vs. socialization?
• How does testosterone affect sexual behavior in men and women?
• What can transgender persons taking hormone therapy teach us about how testosterone affects all of us?
• What is the link between testosterone and sexual orientation?
• Does abstaining from masturbation really increase testosterone in men?
• How can a more scientifically informed understanding of testosterone benefit all of us?

To learn more about Carole and her work, follow her on Twitter @hoovlet and check out her latest book T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us.

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Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.