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Yes, you did read the headline correctly. Testosterone considered the ultimate male hormone and often associated with aggression has had a bad rap. So, is all of this wrong?
Well, the research into testosterone, for those in the know, never was as clear cut as we often colloquially, and in the popular press, assume. Testosterone is not directly correlated with aggression i.e. more testosterone does not mean you are more aggressive. But we do know that it does make already aggressive men more aggressive. So, it only modulates aggressiveness in certain circumstances.
We also know that it is strongly involved in sexual desire and sports performance. But cuddling — that is new!
So, what did these researchers around Aubrey Kelly at Emory University find in their research?
They investigated behaviours in Mongolian gerbils, that’s actually your common garden gerbil that many of us have owned. Specifically, they looked at male behaviour and in the first experiment they gave male gerbils a shot of testosterone after their partners had become pregnant.
Male gerbils can be aggressive in many circumstances such as protecting their territory, but they also form lasting relationships with their partners. This includes cuddling, and this cuddling increases when…
