Extra testosterone reduces your empathy

A new study from Utrecht and Cambridge Universities has for the first time found that an administration of testosterone under the tongue in volunteers negatively affects a person's ability to 'mind read', an indication of empathy. The findings are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Simon Baron-Cohen commented: "This study contributes to our knowledge of how small hormonal differences can have far-reaching effects on empathy."

The new study has several important implications. First, that current levels of testosterone directly affect the ability to read someone else's mind. This may help explain why on average women perform better on such tests than men, since men on average produce more testosterone than women.

More information: Jack van Honk, Dennis J. Schutter, Peter A. Bos, Anne-Wil Kruijt, Eef G. Lentjes, and Simon Baron-Cohen (2011) Testosterone administration impairs cognitive empathy in women depending on second-to-fourth digit ratio Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences http://www.pnas.or ... s.1011891108

Source:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-extra-testosterone-empathy.html