Testosterone as a social inhibitor: two case studies of the effect of testosterone treatment on language.
This study aimed to correlate testosterone levels with natural written language in 2 people undergoing testosterone therapy. Two participants, a man receiving treatment for loss of upper-body strength and a female-to-male transgendered individual, supplied records of injections over 1-2 years along with e-mails or journal entries as writing samples. Results showed that higher testosterone levels correlated with reduced use of words related to social connections. Language relating to anger, sexuality, and achievement was unrelated to testosterone levels. It appears that testosterone steers attention away from social connections but not necessarily toward concerns with aggression or sexual activity.
Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA. pennebaker@psy.utexas.edu
James W
JW
Pennebaker
Carla J
CJ
Groom
Daniel
D
Loew
James M
JM
Dabbs
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013060:Speech / Q000187:drug effects*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*
D013739:Testosterone