This is extremely fascinating to me. As someone with low levels of testosterone, it’s interesting how interconnected individual components of our body interact. I’m trying to understand this topic as of late.

Link for the Monks on steroids?

The article posted here is saying that narcissists tend to be less generous though.

“One (perhaps somewhat funny) takeaway message from our study would be: if you are choosing a date, beware of highly narcissistic men who are simultaneously low on baseline testosterone – in our studies, they were the least generous (and most selfish) in their decisions,” Czarna added. “They shared the least resources with others. So, when going on a date with one of them – prepare to pick up the bill. Meanwhile, men who were low on both narcissism and testosterone were highly generous.”

And agreed it also doesn’t establish how testosterone plays any role in this either, seeing as how both measurements kept the same level of testosterone and only adjusted for the level of narcissism (how do you even measure that conclusively). This is a really shoddy pseudoscientific study that just screams confirmation bias. No idea why they even included testosterone in the discussion when they didn’t identify any correlation.

On a side note, the “prepare to pick up the bill” remark is just kind of a gross and manipulative sounding characterization of what they are trying to say.

I’m trans and I take testosterone. I’ve definitely felt a difference in how I react to situations. I used to have more melancholic reactions and since my first testosterone intake I don’t cry for the same things and I feel strong emotions in my fists instead. I’m not the only trans person with this analogy. I wonder if it’s only people who take testosterone on regular basis ?

I want to add more: I don’t know if this is with age or hormones but in my upbringing my mom tackles life with emotions and my dad with logic and I take from both and since the testosterone I deal with problems more on a logical level but it tends to not let me feel fully my emotions hence the aggression and ticking bomb reactions.

I think no matter your hormone levels everyone can achieve a good balance of tackling problems with sensitivity and logic. Reading on philosophy has helped me tremendously. Especially Stoicism as it teaches you to feel and acknowledge your emotions so you don’t suppress them and later become a mess of a person and shut off to others’ feelings and emotions and to react with logic (to find a ground that will benefit you AND others) so you don’t haste yourself into a mistake ex: feeling mad and taking it out on someone

>The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts.

~Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

Can’t remember where I heard it, but someone said that testosterone “makes effort feel good”.

Jives with the monk analogy.

Well that’s not true, status seeking behavior is just being productive. It’s not always about status it’s about having energy to do things

his stanford course on youtube is fng amazing

What if, when I'm giving gifts, I feel bad cuz I feel like I'm buying people with those.

Basically, I know it will affect positively (even if only slightly ) how much they like me...and it feels bad, which leads me to not give gifts so only the ones who like me for me will stay...so what's that? Did I go full circle?

Might explain why men dominate both ends of the bell curve.