Chapter 1. Competition and Aggression: Testosterone at Work

Short Description

By examining the role of testosterone in social behavior, this video provides an introduction to the biology of aggression.

Long Description

By examining the role of testosterone in social behavior, this video provides an introduction to the biology of aggression. Testosterone plays an important role in maintaining the sex drive and in the development of sex characteristics. In contemporary society, the power of testosterone is most evident in competitive sports. Football players describe the emotional rush that accompanies the anticipation of play. Running out on the field produces euphoria, notes one player, and you believe you can accomplish anything. The hormone is emotionally arousing and motivating, both for the winning team, of course, but also, research suggests, for the fans of winning teams, who show higher testosterone levels. Research also suggests that testosterone levels are associated with more enduring behavior patterns. However, the specific causal relationship between testosterone and behavior is unclear. Does higher testosterone breed success or does success produce higher testosterone? Or does causality operate in both directions?

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