https://www.greatgreenwall.org/supplements/stress-impacts-testosterone/#:~:text=Stress hormones directly kill Testosterone,fight both of these processes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar...idence suggests that,stress (such as surgery).
Not like we are now. Internet, 24 hour news, bombarded with advertisements, on a baseline we deal with like fifty URGENT MUST RESOLVE THIS NOW!!! messages a day, and even though forty-nine turn out to be BS, that’s fifty times your cortisol spiked and you had to drop whatever you were doing to decide, is this real or not? Nah you’re right, we’re safer now than we’ve ever been, but we have the illusion that it’s all going to hell in a hand basket if we don’t watch it as closely as possible while not really being able to do anything. The algorithms are set up to make us endlessly engage, and fear & anger are the top tools to get us there. Depression and suicide are up. Relationships, both number and quality, are down. People were stressed in the Depression, during WWII, but those poor suckers got a breather between the radio broadcasts. Even Walter Cronkite was only on for an hour every day. Now it’s nonstop. Stress was a thing then, but it was nothing like the constant low pressure we have now.
The paper OP himself linked says this: "Recently, research evidence suggests that testosterone levels are reduced in response to stress" but also this: "Salivary testosterone level of men showed a significant increase under exam stress." I wouldn't throw stress (i.e. real or perceived challenges, threats) under the bus just yet. The virtualization of life doesn't introduce extraordinary stress, quite the contrary. It's too low-stress. That causes atrophy and brittleness. Speaking for myself here, the internet turned me into a frenetic rat constantly checking if there's water in the bowl. That's not struggling under a heavy burden but rather the nearly total absence of burdens. I have the attention span and impulse control of a 5 year old. Most likely because I live like 5 year old. This is the garden of Eden and IT SUCKS.
Is that a bad thing ? Isn't testosterone the hormone responsible for aggression and impulsivity as well ?
One of the articles mentions ashwagandha and I have taken it and to my surprise it does work very well, however, it will make you feel emotionally flat so make sure to take breaks from it.
This is the biggest reason, attached with lack of community and a fast paced society(stress invoking). Filter your water boys and be careful what soap and cleaning products you use. It's a terrible thing. Testosterone has nothing to do with aggression and impulsivity, that is a myth and common misconception. Stupidity and emotional immaturity is the reason for what you mention. Lower testosterone causes men to be depressed, anxious and generally unambitious in any venture in life. It's essentially hormonally castrating a man, which causes the entire mechanism to break down. Here, neuroscience to break it down for you. Listen to 11 min to 15 mins. Although, the entire podcast is very interesting.
I think its better if men are more depressed, anxious, and generally unambitious for everyone else . Cause unfortunately we're innately dangerous for everyone else by having a high quality of life . Actually... I think we should just not exist all together . Just to be safe
There are many things. Stress/anxiety/fear. Historically men have always been the provider for the home and the leader. Men are the ones who had to bring back the means for food at home, everyone depended on the man of the house. Men are the ones to be drafted for war. Stress has always been largely present on men, pair that with lack of emotional control/understanding and that is a recipe for an aggressive person. Traumatic experiences from war. Unresolved trauma will lead certain men to aggressive behaviour and impulsivity. Low education and lack of emotional management, versus women, who have been known to be more nurturing and in touch with their emotion. I'm sure there are more things associated, but I believe what I mentioned above are the most "Causal" factors. Testosterone has nothing to do with it, whatsoever.
before there's a misunderstanding, and just to be brief... dr Sapolsky mentions that "testosterone is amplifying the preexisting patterns of aggression"... testosterone have influences in other times in the development of the brain for example before birth... so there's other things one could discuss that i don't know enough to talk about.
Even little boys are more impulsive and aggressive than little girls, it starts from a very young age. It also applies to males from other animal species, there's a reason why large males animals are neutered and it's not only to prevent them from having babies, it's because large male animals with testicles are dangerous.
There's no misunderstanding on my part, it's very clear that testosterone and aggression are unrelated. What influences aggression is in my second response to @she-dernatinus , which is what causes the pattern of aggression that you mention. This is also touched upon in the podcast, large animals do not have the rationality and the potential for emotional development such as humans. I explained this in my last response to you, but to add more detail little girls are taught from a young age to express their emotions, little boys are not. Lack of emotional expression/bottling up ones emotion will create a build up and lead to aggression. Please stop trying to create a link between testosterone and aggression, it's just very naive and untrue. This is the "repeating something as fact so many times that people accept it as truth" mentality.
The fact males from large animal species are neutered to become more docile, definetly shows a connection between testosterone and a higher predisposition to aggressiveness. For human males there are other overlapping factors, but it doesn't mean that human males are exempt from the side-effects of testosterone that other male animals experience. As it sets a strong innate predisposition towards aggressiveness. That is not to say that females aren't aggressive in both our specie and in other species. The female can turn very aggressive when her safety or her offspring's is threatened. So we also have it within us as well, but for us we tend to tilt more towards less frequent, and a more controlled, aggression patterns than males.
I invite you to please re-read all my responses to you and actually pay attention while you are reading. I'll say this one more time, as I don't really want to be a broken record anymore. There is no connection between testosterone and aggressiveness or impulsivity in humans. It's just misrepresented and attached as a conclusion to misrepresent, villainize and seek harm towards men. Correlation is not causation, but the "journalists" and academically lazy who utilize these animal studies all want to push their point forward, as it fits their narrative.
Bro I really think we should just neuter men like domestic pets. I really think that would solve the issue here. It's clear to me that women are the only ones capable of being aggressive. Since they use it for purely moral reasons. Men use it for evil. Like building countries, manning borders, and advancing civilization. Very dangerous for everyone else. A good man is like a house dog. Domesticated and subservient.
Does any of that erase the fact that what I am saying is true ? Certainly not. The fact that neutering is done to prevent a male animal from being a threat shows there's indeed a link between testosterone levels and proclivity to be violent. It's not that hard to understand. I never said though that the same should be done to men. It would be very unethical. And moreover average testosterone levels are dropping.
