Testosterone, the Fair Play Hormone?

aggrOn the occasion of the Michigan Wolverines making it to the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight year, here are a few more photos from their season.via Flickr’s gadknows’ photostreamThis piece of health research is a biggie: Testosterone link to aggression ‘all in the mind’ via BBC News.

The ‘male’ hormone testosterone is typically considered an agressive hormone — and it can be, say researchers — depending on the socialization process.

The study is small, and the conclusions big ones. But considering testosterone a social hormone, rather than an anti-social one, could help to explain why military members (a high-testosterone culture) die for each other and ideals.

Personally, I take testosterone and have found it to be an extraordinary “wellbeing” hormone, to say nothing about what it does for sex drive.

In this research giving women just one dose of testosterone turned them into fairer and more amiable game players, according to a survey of 120 women broken into pairs in order to play an “ultimatum” bargaining game. Women who thought they were given testosterone but really had the placebo were ultra aggressive and “ruthless”.

Researchers say the ‘ruthless’ behavior was learned or expected, but Scientific American puts a slightly different spin on the same report. SA writes that testosterone increases status-seeking behavior, not just aggressive risk-taking.

The implication is that Wall Street guy traders trade more than women, not because they’re pursuing risk, but because they’re pursuing status. Good traders trade a lot. That’s the status vision — to say nothing about the bottom line benefit in company revenue.

I repeat that researchers are drawing big conclusions from a small sampling: 

The researchers, led by Ernst Fehr of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, said the results suggested a case of “mind over matter” with the brain overriding body chemistry.

“Whereas other animals may be predominantly under the influence of biological factors such as hormones, biology seems to exert less control over human behaviour,” they said.

UK endocrinologist Professor Ashley Grossman said: “This puts hormones in their place.

“Hormones provide a basic backdrop, but changes in levels will do little to behaviour compared to personality, culture and society.”

Simply fascinating! Anne