The Testosterone Factor

Transcript

Speaker 1

It's a bad reputation.

Speaker 2

Testosterone has a reputation.

Speaker 1

Only a jerk would act like that complete idiot.

Speaker 2

It's often associated with followers.

Speaker 1

Great and aggression.

Speaker 2

But it's also associated with sex and power. The amount.

Speaker 3

So testosterone in your body may be equivalent to a pinch of sugar in an Olympic swimming pool, and yet it has these profound effects.

Speaker 2

To understand how it works in humans, scientists are looking at the beginning of life. When human life begins, all fetuses look female. Both males and females are exposed to testosterone in the womb. Boys produce significantly more. Levels peak at around four months. The amount of testosterone that male and female fetuses are exposed to at this critical point affects how the body and brain are built. Less testosterone can result in better verbal skills. More testosterone can lead to better visual spatial skills like this metal rotation test and parallel parking. The amount of testosterone that an individual was exposed to in utero can be gauged in some surprising ways. According to some studies, it shows up. In the hands. Specifically, the relationship and length between the pointer and ring fingers. It's called the 2D4D ratio. A longer pointer finger compared with the length of the ring finger means lower testosterone exposure in the wound. A pointer finger shorter than the ring finger indicates a high dose was received in utero. Having a longer ring finger has been correlated with high sperm count, assertiveness in women, and athletic ability. If a glance at someone's hand can reveal mental ability, personality traits, or athletic skill. Could this prejudice a potential employer, opponent or mate? Could such a simple method be reliable? 40 research is controversial, but it does appear that testosterone is determining a lot about who we are before we are even born.

Word Count: 336