Testosterone [T] is clearly correlated in both men and women with psychological dominance, confident physicality and high self-esteem. In most combative, competitive environments, especially physical ones, the person with the most wins. Put any two men in a room together and the one with more testosterone will tend to dominate the interaction. Working women have higher levels of testosterone than women who stay at home, and the daughters of working women have higher levels of testosterone than the daughters of housewives. A 1996 study found that in lesbian couples in which one partner assumes the male, or "butch," role and another assumes the female, or "femme," role, the "butch" woman has higher levels of testosterone than the "femme" woman. In naval medical tests, midshipmen have been shown to have higher average levels of testosterone than plebes. Actors tend to have more testosterone than ministers, according to a 1990 study. Among 700 male prison inmates in a 1995 study, those with the highest Tlevels tended to be those most likely to be in trouble with the prison authorities and to engage in unprovoked violence. This is true among women as well as among men, according to a 1997 study of 87 female inmates in a maximum-security prison.
Although high testosterone levels often correlate with dominance in interpersonal relationships, it does not guarantee more social power. Testosterone levels are higher among blue-collar workers, for example, than among white-collar workers, according to a study of more than 4,000 former military personnel conducted in 1992. A 1998 study found that trial lawyers—with their habituation to combat, conflict and swagger—have higher levels of T than other lawyers. It is even possible to tell who has won a tennis match not by watching the game, but by monitoring testosterone-filled saliva samples throughout. Testosterone levels rise for both players before the match. The winner of any single game sees his Tproduction rise; the loser sees it fall. The ultimate winner experiences a post-game testosterone surge, while the loser sees a collapse. This is true even for people watching sports matches. A 1998 study found that fans backing the winning side in a college basketball game and a World Cup soccer match saw their testosterone levels rise; fans rooting for the losing teams in both games saw their own T levels fall. There is, it seems, such a thing as vicarious testosterone.
This, then, is what it comes down to: testosterone is a facilitator of risk—physical, criminal, personal. Without the influence oftestosterone, the cost of these risks might seem to far outweigh the benefits. But with testosterone charging through the brain, caution is thrown to the wind. The influence of testosterone may not always lead to raw physical confrontation. In men with many options it may influence the decision to invest money in a dubious enterprise, jump into an ill-advised sexual affair or tell an egregiously big whopper. At the time, all these decisions may make some sort of testosteroned sense. The White House, anyone?
These conclusions were drawn from numerous scientific studies, although some of them must be considered preliminary. There is still much to be learned about brain chemistry. No doubt exists, however, that there is a link between hormones and human behavior. Testosterone in particular drives the masculine interest in car racing, professional football, hockey, basketball, wrestling, hunting, fishing, sailing, mountain climbing, military history, guns, prize fighting, karate, etc. Many women enjoy these activities too, but far fewer are preoccupied, or obsessed, with them. Testosterone almost certainly plays a role in the fact that the vast majority of crimes of violence are committed by men, and that the prison population is occupied by a vastly disproportionate number of males.
Even in ancient times, it was understood that certain "undesirable" behavior in men was somehow related to the testicles. Male slaves and prisoners of war were made eunuchs (by castration). This was done so they would lose sexual interest in the royal women and so they would be less likely to do violence in the king's court. It worked. We do the same thing today to stallions, bulls, rams, and other male domestic animals. Their aggressive behavior lessens when the flow of testosterone is interrupted. When levels are high, as they are during mating time, males often engage in vicious and sometimes mortal conflict. One researcher said this explains why you probably shouldn't mess with a bull moose during rutting season.
Book: Bringing Up BoysBy Dr. James Dobson