Does Testosterone Make Men Stingy?
By Jack Darkes, PhD

A recent study was reported in the media (http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-testosterone-makes-men-selfish-102109.aspx?xmlmenuid=51) with the headline, “Testosterone Makes Men Stingy.”  Although the study details were sketchy, it seems that men given testosterone (how much, how, and what they were told were not reported) made smaller offers of money to a stranger than when they were not given testosterone.  They were also more likely to “punish” others in response to “stingy” offers. 

Although we know little about the study details, we do know that the social conduct of human males cannot simply be reduced to testosterone.  Sure, it’s important to how we act, and as the late psychologist James Dabbs noted in HEROES, ROGUES, AND LOVERS:  TESTOSTERONE AND BEHAVIOR, testosterone is associated with a wide range of behaviors.  But there is more to it than that and saying testosterone makes men “stingy” is like saying that gasoline is all that makes cars run; many elements are necessary.  In the end, no matter the octane of the fuel you use, without consistent maintenance to keep it healthy and a driver to push the pedals and steer the way, the car goes nowhere.  It is the same with us; no matter how much is in the tank, we must determine the route we take.

Testosterone, and, for that matter, maleness itself, doesn’t make us anything.  It is all in what we do with it.  The true Alpha Male is on a quest to earn eminence -- consensual status -- among his fellow citizens by working toward the common good.  It is not just testosterone that makes us who we are, but how we learn to use all of our skills and harness our energy. 

Being stingy or selfish, or being generous and altruistic, is as much a choice as a hormonal directive.  We are not prisoners of our physiology or gender.  We can control and enrich who we are.  In helping to develop the psychological self-improvement components of ALPHA MALE CHALLENGE with Rick Collins and James Villepigue, we created a drill called the “Good Knight” (in Week 9 of the 10-week Challenge [ALPHA MALE CHALLENGE, page 169]) for that very purpose: to unleash the heroic altruist at the heart of every true Alpha Male.  Just as testosterone can help us build physical strength with diligent exercise, with practice it can also help us develop our attitude muscles, including empathy and altruism.