- In mice and monkeys, the loser in aggressive encounters shows reduced androgen levels, so testosterone levels maybe a result, rather than a cause of behavior
- In men, testosterone levels rise in winners and fall in losers after competitions

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

- Experience can affect testosterone levels
- Dominance as a confounding variable

Some complicated variables in the relationship between androgens and aggression

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Experience can affect testosterone levels

- Women treated with testosterone reportedly spend more time staring into the eyes of threatening faces, which is a socially dominant behavior
- Testosterone levels should be associated with behaviors that confer or protect the individual's social status. These behaviors may sometimes, but not always, involve overt aggression.
- While surgical or "chemical" castration may reduce violence in some sex offenders, the main effect is a reduction in sexual motivation more than a direct effect on aggression. Many ethical issues raised by this to the rehab of sex offenders

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