Testosterone

I learned that hormones, especially testosterone, is a huge benefactor in the way humans think and behave. I learned that testosterone affects every part of yourself, your personality, interest, desire, ambition, and even speech. I also learned, by the example of the magazine writer, that if you do not have enough testosterone in your body you are more likely to have no desire to do anything. Another example in the podcast was with Griffin, a women who decided to get testosterone shots. Because of the massive increase in testosterone, Griffin changed in a lot of ways. I learned that testosterone/ hormones can impact the way others see you and how you perceive others. I was very surprised by the examples and how hormones actually do affect your daily life. I was mostly surprised about how the magazine writer had no desire to do anything, especially eat, when he didn't have enough testosterone in his body. My own behavior is affected by hormonal influences. They are affected by how I see others and how I react to things, like crying.
Psychological terms: Hormones, and testosterone

Jacob Clark
9-2-14
Psych
Testosterone reflection

I like to think i am pretty well rehearsed on the subject of testosterone considering i have spent a great amount of my high school career researching it. However, the first act specifically made me call to question how much i really know about it.
You see, I spent most of my time researching the opposite end of the spectrum. What does too much testosterone cause physiologically. Which is why I was not too surprised for act two. But, i have never heard anyone really explain what its like with exceedingly low testosterone. The way he described it as just being without desire and seeing the world from an almost god like perspective sounds very humbling indeed.
I also thought act three was rather intriguing. Mainly due to the who scored the highest testosterone levels. I feel like this breaks down superficial knowledge that the “manly and sporty” types put out the most testosterone. Testosterone output seems to be more linked to a quiet confidence within yourself.
As far as i know, my behavior is heavily influenced by testosterone output. When contrasting with act one, i feel completely opposite. I feel everything i do has meaning. As well as I find interest and purpose in the most trivial of daily tasks. Not to mention the fact that I am a sexually active 18 year old. So, yes. Id have to say hormones are a huge influence in my life at the moment.
Vocab - Testosterone, hormones

From this radio show i learned that testosterone and other hormones can affect how you think and feel. The man who lost all of his testosterone said that he lost all desire to do anything and had lost all interest in everything including food. For example, when he said could eat bread and mayonnaise for 5 days and not even care and when he kept saying everything looked beautiful. I thought it was weird how he picked beautiful as his describing word for everything that he saw. If I had no feelings about anything i would have used a word more non-descriptive or plain.
All of this came as a surprise to me because when someone talks about testosterone i think of sports and other performance enhancing drugs. I was unaware at all the other effects that it could have on not just the body but the mind as well. When Griffin went from being a woman and acting manly and butch, to acting more fragile and soft-spoken i got a little i got really surprised. I thought that testosterone was supposed to make you act more like a man? This is when I realized that hormones can change the way you think and the way you act completely.
My behavior could be changed in the ways I eat and the way I act. From what I have learned is that I could be one person with testosterone ands then with little or none i could be a completely different person than I was before.
Terms: hormones, testosterone.

I learned from this video that not having testosterone and other hormones can really make a huge impact on a person’s personality and behavior. I learned hormones are the main part of what makes a person act the way they do. In the first story, this man had no testosterone and he basically lost himself as a person. The video stated testosterone is the home of desire and this man really did lose his desire for everything he loved. He even lost interest to watching television. I was surprised he even lost the ability to speak the way he normally would when he had the normal amount of testosterone. I would of never guessed losing a certain hormone could affect a person’s speech. He also kept saying how everything to him was beautiful including weeds next to sidewalks. At one point he also said he felt closer to god and he “saw things as they really were.” The second story of the women who took testosterone to turn into a man. He said he expected to grow facial hair and the little things like that, however, he said he never thought his attraction to women and sex drive would increase so quickly. He would find himself “checking out” women in the most random places. He also said he gained an interest in science that he never had before. This probably surprised me the most because I would never thought a person’s interests could change so drastically just by having more supply of a hormone. My own behavior is affected by certain hormones like estrogen. For example, I could be angry or happy one minute and crying the next depending on the level of estrogen I have in my body.
Psychological terms: testosterone, hormones, estrogen

Listening to this episode of This American Life, I learned a ton about testosterone. I was not aware how much a different level of testosterone can really change the personality of a person. Griffin, who began taking testosterone injections was differently affected than the person who went without testosterone. The man who went without testosterone lost all interest in everyday things. He no longer felt the need to watch television or eat good tasting foods. He did although believe he began to ‘see things as they truly were.’ Griffin, who injected extra testosterone, began to notice changes in sexual desires. He began to view women in more aggressive ways than he had before. I was very surprised at how an individual’s personality can really change simply by a difference in testosterone levels. As teenagers, I think our hormones definitely come into play. Our hormones are stronger during the teenage period with our bodies changing. The way men and women take situations definitely differs due to our difference in hormones. Many aspects of life tie into hormones, such as attitude, feelings, and desire. Terms: Testosterone, Hormones

From the testosterone episode on the radio show I learned that testosterone and other hormones in our body really do affect how we think and behave. In act one when the speaker discussed how living with no testosterone had completely changed his behavior and how he saw the world was really remarkable. He acted almost like he was comatose or lethargic and had no interest in most of what he was doing and viewed the world in a really simplistic way that he described as seeing things the way God would see them. In act two when the speaker discussed his change to become a man and how the testosterone had changed the way he saw people was very interesting. During his change he would look at people and think how attractive they were or how he wanted to talk to them but after the testosterone he looked at attractive people in more of a sexual way. He also described how he had become to behave more aggressive during debates with others or when he would walk down the street to show more dominance to other men. Another thing he mentioned was how after the testosterone he became extremely interested in science, which he never liked before the change. In act three it was really informational how they described some peoples behaviors and physical attributes before the test to show what could be some factors in the results. I did find it extremely surprising how the winner of the male group was termed less masculine than some of the other men in the group but had almost twice the amount as everyone else in the group. I was extremely surprised at how much testosterone does affect how we think and behave. I had no idea that it played such an important role in our lives or factored into how we think, behave, and even our interested. Testosterone does affect our lives greatly in how we behave and act. For example it could be one of the reason I am extremely competitive in almost everything I do. Our hormones can also affect how we act by changing our moods and behavior during certain situations. I can certainly tell that testosterone does affect how I see and think about others or how I behave around certain people.

Terms used: Hormones, testosterone, comatose/lethargic

I learned that many parts of human thought is decided by hormones and can be severely changed when either missing or having much more chemicals in their body at the time. Many people changed how they acted when in the company of others. I thought it was incredible how the one man acted towards women when he added massive amounts of Testosterone into his body so he could act as more of a “man” when in his life he was more on the side of feminine. Many people don’t realize how many of their decisions are made because of their body functions and their hormones that influence how they want to go about their lives and how they would operate with the opposite sex in general. With psychology being the study of the mind and how many of the emotions in us can change because of the chemicals and hormones in our body, because of this, many of the changes that take place because of hormones becomes important to psychology and their study on how they can change a person. With the study of the mind it becomes important if there are things that would change a person like with Griffin because of his injections he became a different person because of the new amount of Testosterone and psychology can help understand what happened during the change. Psychology Terms: Testosterone, Hormones

Testosterone affects people in many ways. Testosterone effect the way people look at things in life, they way they behave and even how they taste food. When you have a lot of hormones people think more about sex and what finds at least one attractive body part on a person. With a lot of testosterone he was picturing people naked all the time. It was weird that he could not help how he was picturing people it just happened. If you have no testosterone you see the world very different. The guy did not care how his food tasted or did not recognize attractive people on the street. Without testosterone he saw they world differently he thought everything was very beautiful but wasn’t really seeing the world. Without testosterone it is like a black and white version of someone’s life. It was interesting how the genes people were given determine how much testosterone people have, balding is a hereditary thing yet, if someone is blading they are more likely to have more testosterone. It was surprising how people without testosterone see the world. How he saw everything that was beautiful, but did not really see the beauty of it. He thought it was beautiful but did not care for it and did not know why it was beautiful. What also surprised me was that having a lot of testosterone made people not be able to control how they see women. Always seeing them naked and finding parts you like about them and not being able to control it. I was also surprised how genes affect hormones like balding. Balding is hereditary and being bald usually means you have more testosterone. How just who you are born to can make up how much or how little of testosterone you have. I feel like I have a lot of testosterone. I am very pushy, aggressive and kind of a hot head, I also like sports, play sports and watch them. From the clip these things were shown as if you are this kind of person and like watch sports you will most likely have a lot of hormones. Having a lot of hormones makes me a pushy person, more aggressive and a hot head.

Hormones
Testosterone
Hereditary

I learned from this radio show that hormones, such as testosterone, control most of the way people live their lives. Also, the way people act or behave is governed by how high or low their testosterone levels is, not just how their voice sounds or how athletic a person is. For example, people with low testosterone tend to not have as high of feelings and are very mutual about things. When I think about people with high or low testosterone I use to think it was in accordance to how good they were at sports or how they acted, such as if they were a tom boy or a girly girl. But in my surprise what I learned from this talk show was that has nothing to do with that. In reality it does not define who a person is but how they act throughout their life. Since my own body is affected by hormones I see that being in affect a lot throughout how my emotions are carried out. For example, I may become more upset over certain situations or I react to emotions by crying.
Terms used: hormones, testosterone

While listening and following along with the This American Life episode over testosterone, I learned many new things about hormones. Testosterone can affect peoples’ lives in several different ways. I think some people overlook this hormone and think it only occurs in males but, it takes place in both males and females.

In this episode, we met a man who lost all of his testosterone. During this four month period, he noticed several changes mentally and personality changes. He said he had zero desire for anything. Desire not meaning sex but, strong feelings in general. He would sit on the couch and have no desire to watch TV, he didn’t care if his food had a good taste or if he even ate, he saw things exactly how they were, and he said it was almost like sitting around all day staring at a wall. I learned that hormones can change behavior, desires, and emotions differently in each person.

We also met Griffin, formally a female but transformed into a male by using a large dosage of testosterone. He was affected totally different than the first man we met. Griffin had troubles keeping his mind off of sexual desires. He couldn’t look at a woman without looking at her physical features. What I found surprising was that Griffin could look at a car or a copying machine and feel the same as if he were looking at a woman. He also mentioned that he couldn’t share the same relationship with women or his old friends, it was just different. After this story, I learned more about the different effects testosterone has on the body depending on the person.

While listening to Act 3, I was very surprised to hear that a pregnant woman backstage had more testosterone than the other women. I figured being pregnant would provide more estrogen but, this shows that her testosterone levels were higher than the other females before she was pregnant. Hormones affect everyone. I can be happy and sad within hours depending on hormones. Like crying for example, Griffin found it harder to produce tears but he could still feel the affect of being sad. I personally enjoy sports and exercising, adding more hormones to my body.

Terms: Estrogen, Testosterone, and Hormones

Throughout the listening of the talk show, I learned that testosterone has a lot more to do with who you are as a person than I had previously thought. It affects personality, desire, and even speech! Beforehand, I thought testosterone only corresponded with few behaviors and thoughts, but in all reality it controls a lot more than that. Being considered a teenager, I feel testosterone affects me in many ways, especially throughout the developing and growing process. I never would have guessed that it dictates my behaviors and thoughts, and after listening to the show, I can acknowledge this and be more conscious of the not so appealing side effects that come with it. I can also further appreciate the way I interpret the world, because an absence of testosterone can change that too.

Testosterone

This episode about testosterone was really surprising. As most ignorant people would assume, I assumed that testosterone simply made one “manly.” However, after hearing about the man who went without testosterone for four months, I realize how much more testosterone is than just what makes a man manly. The think that most baffled me about this hormone deficiency, was how completely it changed the man’s behavior. The most surprising thing was that he did not even have the desire to eat food that was good, that it simply had to be food. His description of how he had a complete lack of thought in his brain was really shocking as well. That just really nails home how much testosterone has to do with human behavior and our wants and needs. I had the same realization when hearing about the transgender man. It was crazy how much too much testosterone completely changed his personality.
All of this led me to wonder how much testosterone has to do with the way I act and the way I think. Does literally every goal and want in my mind have testosterone behind it? It even makes me wonder if everything about my personality is simply the result of how hormones in my system are balanced out. That it is not only my unique life experiences, but a sort of chemical reaction going on within my body and nothing else. Honestly, as the man without testosterone said, it is a really humbling thought.

Terms used: testosterone, hormone, behavior

Testosterone plays much more of a role in life than I originally thought. Before listening to this, I had thought that hormones were mainly for sexual desire. I now am more aware of their role. They almost seem to give humans a reason for life. Without hormones, we would have nothing on our mind. We would have no emotion or noticeable behavior. What I found to be most interesting was a point brought up in Act I. The speaker stated that when he lived a life without testosterone. He looked at things with neither interest nor disinterest, and described literally everything as beautiful, from bees to sidewalk cracks. Another fascinating idea is that he felt almost like a god. He saw things objectively and was able to notice many things he didn’t before; however, he still had no expression and considered his emotion to be flat line-all the time. I was surprised about the significance of the hormones role in human everyday life. Some people look more attractive than others so we are may look at them more, react differently to their reactions, and see them in a different way than others. The way I understood the whole concept was that they drive all of our desires. So, by default, hormones play a huge role in determining individual’s goals and aspirations.
I used the psychological terms hormones and testosterone.

I learned that hormones have a huge impact on behaviors and thoughts in both men and women. In Act 1, I learned that life without testosterone meant that the life of that individual was very bland and resulted in a lack of interest in common things, like food and entertainment. When things are seen simply in an objective fashion, then everything is seen as beautiful. In Act 2, I learned that a lot of testosterone means that it is harder to have harmless thoughts when around a person of interest. Instead, those thoughts become very intense and sexually graphic. These thoughts can have a negative effect on how that person feels about themselves. In Act 3, I learned that discovering the level of one’s testosterone can lead to negative effects, like self-esteem issues, misconceptions, etc. In reality, the higher testosterone level, the “bolder” one seems to be. Overall, I was pretty surprised by the effects of testosterone. This helped me understand a how testosterone can make someone’s thoughts and behavior so intense and emotional.
I can see how my behavior can be dictated by hormones. For example, I can get very moody when I have not eaten enough, or if I have low energy. My patience is thin. Also, when I am on my cycle, I notice the hormonal levels in my system increase slightly. It’s amazing to me how hormones can dictate one’s behavior.
Psychological terms: Hormone, testosterone, hormonal level, testosterone level

I learned a lot about how Hormones control how we act and what we do. One big behavior that was talked about when griffin was getting injected with testosterone is the fact that he had very strong sexual tendencies towards a lot of things even cars or just soft objects. It was also interesting to hear that it caused behaviors that are just considered “manly” behaviors. They went over a lot of stereotypes that are given to men and we find out that the reason those things happen is because of the high level of testosterone in men. Griffin started to like science after starting his injections which is the one thing that really surprised me. I didn’t think that the like of science and the ability to understand science would have anything to do with testosterone. After hearing that though that might be the reason why I enjoy science so much. I really enjoy physics and chemistry and I suppose that could be because I am a male and have more testosterone. Another behavior that I could probably contribute to hormones is my want to always work out and go to the gym.
Key terms: testosterone, hormones

After listening to the audio, I learned that testosterone can affect your life more than you realize. Testosterone can make you feel different things and possibly do things that you don’t want to do. I found it really interesting about the man that didn't have testosterone for four months changed him. Testosterone can make you feel lazy. You have no desire to accomplish anything in a day. When you do try to accomplish something, it is as if you have no emotion. The man would find objects that appeared to him to be beautiful; objects that were just simple such as a leaf or a brick. The man said when he said objects were beautiful, he would say them with a dull voice. I found this interesting because he was able to look at something so simple and realize that it had a purpose. Life without testosterone can make you change in ways that you didn't think were possible.
I also found it interesting listening to part of the audio where a female became a man. It interested me because I didn't know that having high amounts of testosterone in the bloodstream can affect you too. Suddenly Griffin was feeling a strong desire to look at women differently than before. He started to have sexual feelings about women and even colors of an object did the same.
I was surprised because I didn't know that without hormones or an extreme amount of hormones can affect you in different ways. I found it surprising that knowing what your testosterone level is can affect you. Some women who have high levels may feel that they are bossy or a pushover and men who have low levels may feel that they are not as manly as they thought. Hormones can affect the way we see ourselves and others.
As a girl, my attitude can change instantly. One minute I may be happy and then I might feel sad for no reason. I think that when I feel sad or angry, I have a sudden desire to eat. I can’t explain why this happens, but it does. I also feel that men and women differ with their emotions. I feel that women like to be more sensitive and show their feelings. They don’t mind crying in front of a man because they know that he may comfort her. On the other hand, feel that men don’t like to express their feelings because they want to be seen as masculine. Everyday our hormones affect the way we do things.
Psychology terms: hormones, testosterone

I feel like testosterone is a very misunderstood hormone. When testosterone is brought about during a conversation, generally people think of men right away. Everyone knows that testosterone is very important in men, but people do not realize that testosterone is a big factor in women too. Testosterone is very well known for being responsible for masculine features, but there is much more to it than just that. I learned that testosterone is more responsible for many desires in the human body than I originally thought. I always thought that testosterone was just something that helped men become more muscular than women and was responsible for the sex drive in men, but it is much more than just that. It was quite evident how important testosterone is when the man described how he looked at things when he had a very low amount of testosterone in him. He seemed to be living a care-free life in which nothing bothered him. I thought it was quite interesting when comparing the man with no testosterone to the women who changed her body by injecting herself with high doses of testosterone. The man with no testosterone didn’t even have desire to simply eat while the women who had been having testosterone injections almost felt aggressive in a sense; she had an extremely high desire sexually and with other things. I have definitely learned that testosterone and hormones are very powerful in their own ways and by having too little or too much can affect a person dramatically.
Terms: testosterone, hormones

I originally thought human thought and behavior could be effected by hormones and such. Everyone has heard of how girls act when they are pregnant is due to all the hormones. This and the fact that people can take drugs and shots of hormones to help them with certain illnesses. I was still quite shocked at how testosterone effects the human body. The first guy they talked to that was without it really made it seem like a dark place. He said he had no desire to do anything and he felt like there was no context to his life. This made it sound like not having testosterone, being man or women, would be terrible, since there is no desire. The girl that took testosterone though also had some surprising insight. She felt like a monster because she had become a man that she always hated. She always thought of sex and everything would turn her on, even inanimate objects. I was very surprised by how she was all of a sudden interested in science and physics. This is just mind blowing to think about, because just taking testosterone shot made not only her behavior, but her interest change. I didn’t know that testosterone or just hormones in general had this big of an impact on how we act and even our interests. It makes me interested in other hormones and what they have an effect on behavior and interest wise.
Personally I could see in my friends and sometimes myself of what things testosterone influences. He said it makes you more decisive. This made me immediately think of my girlfriend. I make decisions and stick with them, which is what the doctor said testosterone impacts. While she being a girl has low testosterone is very indecisive. I also could understand when he said when you make these quick decisions time you get blindsided when there is an accident. I could relate to that very well. I make quick decisions and stick with it and then when something doesn’t go right I am completely caught off guard. These I had no idea until now were related to testosterone.

It was so fascinating to learn that hormones are very substantial in every form of behavior or emotions; the main one being testosterone. I only knew that testosterone was used in sexual attraction and the drive we have when wanting sex. Testosterone can affect me in every aspect of my being, whether it is my motivation and ambition to do something, to the way I portray my emotions in regards to certain situations. The man who hosted the talk show discussed how he spent a few months with no testosterone in his body. He explained how during those months he had no desire or motivation to do anything; but, for he also stated that he somewhat enjoyed the feeling of not worrying or caring about anything.
In act two, a man speaks about how he began his life as a girl and then after discovering his sexuality and how he wanted to be portrayed, he decided to begin taking testosterone. He as he predicted, began to accumulate the characteristics of a man; he grew facial hair and body hair, and his voice became deeper. What he did not expect was how much his personality due to the testosterone. His desires changed dramatically; he became interested in the sciences like physics and began to understand it very easily. His sexual drive changed as well. His body did not change the way his mind did.
These stories were very surprising. I did not expect testosterone, or hormones in general, to change the body as much as it did to these two men. I am amazed as to how easily our bodies can change if they are altered even slightly.
Terminology: Hormones, Testosterone, Sex Drive

Through this article, I learned how vital hormones are to maintain a “normal” everyday life. The man in the first act talked about how he was indifferent towards everything that happened to him or around him. I was shocked not only by how differently the world was to him, but the fact that he thought everything was beautiful and how felt more godlike because he saw everything so literally. It was honestly the last thing I expected to hear him say. Though most people think of hormones as a bad thing, I think the first article showed how vital they really are.
I can definitely see how my own behavior is dictated by hormonal influences. I can distinctly remember times where I stop and ask myself why I am acting the way I am, and then I realize that it is because of my hormones. Growing up, I also noticed how my hormones affected me, specifically during my younger teenage years. I was angry all the time and definitely went through the angsty teen stage.
Terminology: hormones, indifferent

Through this radio show, I learned many things about testosterone. From the first act, I discovered that hormones, especially testosterone can completely control someone’s personality. The first act was about a guy who went through a testosterone withdraw. His attitude on life had completely changed. He had a loss of appetite, he became quieter and reserved, just looked at things as they were (as if he lacked creativity). He said it was the most literal understanding he had ever had of the world, as if he was thinking like God.

The second act was about a transgender man that decided to take hormone injections to take out the estrogen in his body. He ended up taking twice the amount than a grown man would have in his body. He stated that he had an increased libido and he could not stop thinking about sex.

With both examples, it amazes me how just the tiniest changes in hormones can completely withdraw someone or make someone more sexually inclined. I also thought it was interesting when the radio shows hosts took the test to see their testosterone levels. Based on that, I’m now curious as to what my own hormone levels are. My friend for example had a hormone imbalance (more testosterone) and she didn't know about it until she was a senior in high school. It caused her to have major health issues. This video made me realize how serious these imbalances are and how many people these imbalances truly effect.

From this episode, I learned that hormones, especially testosterone, play a huge role in our thoughts and behaviors. Not only can our testosterone levels effect the things we do and the way we think, they can also effect the way we view things in our daily life. More testosterone seemed to give the people in these clips a deeper view of life and simple daily tasks. It was like the had to find deeper meaning.
I was not surprised at the effect the hormone levels had or have on people. When people think of hormones in general they automatically shift their thinking to sex. They are so much more than that. As heard from these stories they can change the way people live their everyday lives completely. It may make people more angry or give them a longer attention span. Whatever it may be, it could be for better or worse. So, the thing that did surprise me in this episode is that it changed some people for what seemed to be better and some for the worse. It all depends on how much you boost your hormones and what your levels were to begin with.
I fell like it is easy to tell the effects testosterone or hormone increase in general has on me. As a male, my levels of testosterone are naturally higher to begin with. However, I can kind of relate to what some were saying when their testosterone levels went up. This is because as an athlete I do heavier and more intense lifting and weight training in the off season. When the time comes, and I lift more, my testosterone levels rise. I feel more arrogant and invincible than usual when this happens. I feel like I don’t have as many things I care about, or worry about when this happens as well. On the other hand, I definitely think more. Deeper and more intense thinking about everything. Some may like it and some might not. Personally I like it. The last thing I notice about myself is obvious, and that is that I am aware of my actions and why I am doing the things I do.
Terms: Hormones, Testosterone

Before taking the time to listen to "Testosterone" on This American Life, I was expecting it to be simply about sexual connotations with men, and mostly derogatory. To my surprise I realized that this hormone actually controls a tremendous amount more in our bodies than I ever imagined. I was completely surprised to find out that the man with no testosterone had no ambitions whatsoever. No desires, no motivation. It almost sounded like he was in a severely depressive state without actually feeling "sad" or anything really. It was interesting to hear that he simply believed that all was beautiful, and nothing was considered imperfect in his mind. It was also very interesting to hear about the woman that became a man, and to briefly get a feeling for what it's like to see men through a women's perspective. It made me question the way that I think, and really study my own personality. It was also fairly interesting to hear his take on men. For example, he spoke very shortly about how men are more aggressive and "mean" because of their own insecurities. At first it was hard to accept but after thinking about it, that statement is fairly accurate. I enjoyed seeing perspective in life and understanding the ways that I think in relation to the two "worlds" of men and women.
Terms: Testosterone, Depression

After listening to this talk show, I have learned that the amount of testosterone that people contain, really effects people and their behaviors. I learned that hormones are the main part as to why people act the way that they do. For example, the story about the man that lived without testosterone and he lost all of his feelings for everything. Like his desire for everything, for example. He did not want any interaction, he just wanted to sit there and be bored. He had no desire to do anything. I thought that it was interested how much hormones can effect a persons desire in life. I was surprised by this because I thought that someone's desire, and other characteristics that they contained, were traits that they got from generations before them and were handed down. i definitely think that hormones play a big impact in my life. Especially being a woman and having monthly gifts. My mood can go from happy to crabby in a matter of minutes and I definitely think that is a cause of hormones.
Psychology Terms: Testosterone, hormones

I learned a lot about how hormones, specifically testosterone, affect the human body. I had always correlated testosterone with tough guys. For example, I would assume that a man with huge muscles and a very “tough guy” attitude would have more testosterone than a little, quiet man who likes to sew and read books. The third of the radio show really showed me how mistaken I was, specifically when the testosterone test results were revealed for the men. It obviously shocked a lot of people that, “the gay, Canadian Jew living in Manhattan,” had almost twice as much testosterone as anyone else in the group, including the sports guy. It was even more interesting how everyone responded to the test results. The men seemed to feel like they were less “manly” if they had lower testosterone levels, while the women felt like they were “pushy” if they had higher testosterone levels. Even though nothing about their personalities changed, their perceptions of themselves and each other were great affected.
I learned a lot about the importance of testosterone from the first act. I knew that everyone had testosterone, but I didn’t know that it controlled the emotion for desire. I think the stereotypical “manly” man is one who is tough and doesn’t care, but desiring something is what testosterone in the body does. Griffin’s story emphasizes this point. When he initially had is testosterone shots, he had a huge desire, or lust, for the women he saw. I don’t think a lot of women, including myself, understand the struggle that guys deal with not to be labelled as “pigs.” That doesn’t mean that men are blameless in every case, but they struggle more than most of us think.
I recently had an interesting case with hormonal influences. After feeling really tired and sad a lot I went to the doctor and had some tests done. I found out that I had hypothyroidism, or low thyroid hormone levels. Once I got hormone replacement, I began to feel more alert and just happier. It was simple thing, but it made me feel so much better. If my thyroid hormone can affect me that much, I can’t imagine how much estrogen affects me.
Psychological terms: hormones, testosterone, estrogen

Hormones:

Being involved in sports for most of my life going in to this talk show recording I knew that testosterone had a huge role on the human body. I knew that “low T” was going to hinder certain characteristics. I knew that testosterone had an effect on personality but not to such an extent shown in the real life of these people. Listening to this radio recording it is hard to say that hormones such as testosterone don’t affect your thoughts, personality, and behaviors. The man without testosterone said that everything was extremely bland and that even his thoughts were about nothing. And without testosterone his life was “without desire”. Without testosterone his personality went from competitive to a complete 360 degree switch. He only did one thing a day and that was going to the grocery store and then the rest of the day was staring at wall or just emptiness in what he did. His personality completely changed when the hormone testosterone was absent. And completely different but the same supporting evidence that testosterone contributes to behaviors and thoughts was the transgender that went from a female to a male on the recording. He said that when he was a female that he could think just casual thoughts about a women and think just about a conversation. However, when testosterone was introduced to his system; the thoughts were overwhelming. He could not control himself of thinking about pornographic images and was turned on by almost anything. He also noticed a difference in interests. Although he said it may not have been attributed by testosterone I believe it was. This random interest had to come from something and the hormones that were introduced must have changed the brain to want more of a scientific look on things. From going to a man with no testosterone who saw everything as beautiful in a boring manner to a transgender who said that pornographic thoughts were almost impossible to keep out of his mind when he saw an attractive feature; I think that there is enough evidence here to say that hormones such as testosterone have an overwhelming effect on our behaviors and personality. In my personal life I can tell when testosterone comes into play. I am very competitive and sometimes it gets a little overboard. I cannot lose in anything and this can more than likely be attributed to my testosterone levels.

From the audio, I learned how testosterone significantly affects people’s life. I was amazed by how human thought and behavior is taken charge of homones levels in our body. Cases in Act One and Act Two are more obvious to me. In Act One,the man who lost his testosterone lost his desire in every aspect of his life. But he said he found beauty in everything, and he felt surprisingly happy. Griffin in Act Two, who used to be a woman, later by injecting much higher volume of testosterone, realized that his sexual desires to women have uncontrolledly changed. As a female, the most frequent way to deal with the stress for me is to cry, but for Griffin, he needs to force himself to cry to release the emotion because of the excess testosterone in his body.
Psychological terms that I used: hormones, testosterone

I really enjoyed this program. Before I listened, I assumed it would be a bunch of men whining about how testosterone causes them to lose control of their bodies and how the offensive things they do can be attributed to testosterone. However, as I listened, I found out more and more about testosterone through people that you wouldn't normally think of when you hear testosterone. We heard from a man who had experienced a complete loss of testosterone, causing him to lose focus in life and causing him difficulty enjoying things he used to. We also heard from a Transman about his experiences with his transition. I found this part especially intriguing because I have a friend who is trans* and he has been exhibiting many of the same side-effects Griffin described in the program. When you think about it, transitioning really is very similar to a young person going through puberty, only the levels of hormones are much higher, exaggerating what we are used to seeing in young boys especially. If this radio show taught me anything, it's that having high amounts of testosterone is not any kind of excuse for impolite or otherwise unforgivable actions. If Griffin can have the testosterone of two large men in his body and still discern right from wrong, then so can everyone else. I loved the approach this show took, as it could've been much more dry, but it turned out to be very informational in several different ways.
Psychology terms: Testosterone, Hormones

I did not know how much our brain was affected by the amount of hormones in our body. Typical things people do during the day such as watch television or read those with low testosterone do not want to do them anymore. In the first act, this man had no desire but thought hard about life. He saw everything as beautiful even the things people with testosterone would not have noticed. It is crazy to think how just a hormone can do that to our bodies. Testosterone has to be at the perfect level because otherwise our emotions would be just like the man in Act two. Before this woman turned into a man he was pretty tough guy and aggressive. After he got too much testosterone he turned softer and delicate than manly like everyone thinks testosterone will do to him or her. Our society believes high testosterone levels are found in big, bulky, muscular men. However, researchers found that high testosterone levels are found in bald men and men who smile more often. Hormones definitely dictate how I act. If I am listening to a sad song or see a sad movie and cry it’s because my hormones changed. It’s crazy to think how much our behavior is affected by a chemical off-balance.

Vocabulary: Testosterone, hormones

After listening to This American Life, I learned quite a bit about testosterone and the extent to which hormones actually affect us all. I had never realized that our hormones have such vast control over our behavior and thoughts, so much that if they were skewed we would seem like a completely different person. I found it very interesting that when the writer lost his testosterone, he not only lost all of his ambition and desires, but he actually saw the world in a completely different way, seeing beauty in the simplicity of nature and his surroundings. The fact that he lost things such as the desire to be judgmental and envious of others also intrigued me. Though he lost his ambitions and desires, he did gain the gift of being content with simplicity and seeing the world and the people around him as a beauty that should be noticed and appreciated. I really enjoyed that. What I really found surprising was the fact that a flux in hormones can even change ones interests, such as suddenly being interested in science. Everyone’s behavior is dictated by hormonal influences, and so it definitely makes you wonder how different you would be if those hormones were drastically changed. I can tell that my behavior is definitely influenced by my fluctuating hormones because of my tendency to have mood swings.
Terms: testosterone, hormones

I'm surprised how the man in the very beginning thinks about his testosterone on a daily basis. It's also surprising how almost seemingly everything for the man in the first act is effected by the lack of his body producing testosterone; his voice, his opinion of things, how he found things funny. He also approached people with a humility that he said he never displayed before. I think it is also surprising how much hormones impact who you are. You think that you're what makes you YOU, but you're made up of a lot of little things meshing together, like a recipe. If you make a cake without flour, it really isn't really a cake anymore. It's different.

The man without testosterone lost interest in a lot of things, and had a lack of desire for anything. He described that people lacking testosterone aren't "Spock" like but just have a somewhat more simple understanding of everything. He also found everything to be beautiful.

The woman who transitioned to a man is on the other end of the spectrum and when from little testosterone to a ton of testosterone. It was obviously a choice for him, and got injected with testosterone. The world changed for him just within a few days. There was an incredible increase in libido and how much he thought about women and sex, and he couldn't turn it off. He stated that he felt like a monster most of the time because of these uncontrollable feelings. His situation is even more complicated because he was previously a feminist and now he considered himself a "post-" feminist. He also noticed how he cried and let out emotion was different.

I also think it's slightly amusing how all of the people who got tested by the testosterone were worried about their test results because they didn't want to be thought of an asshole or as a pushover, or manly or a wimp, when they've known each other for awhile anyways so their testosterone levels won't make a difference at this point.

I can definitely tell when I am impacted by my own hormones; being female, I think I'm mainly impacted by my estrogen levels. I think I have many influxes in my hormones that make me cry or upset for no reason. Especially while I am on my period or around that time, because my hormones are probably all over the place.

Terms used:
testosterone, hormones, estrogen

After listening to the recording I have learned that human thought and behavior is immensely governed by hormones. Testosterone in particular effects desire. Living without testosterone makes it difficult for one to distinguish what is interesting and what is not. This may not be a horrible scenario for some, like the gentleman in the recording who lived without testosterone for a few months. He found himself thinking and often saying to himself, “That is beautiful.” Even the most mundane objects like a crack in the ground, or a weed sticking out from the sidewalk became just as significant as the most obvious objects. He also stated he began to “think like god”. He began to see things as they really are, or “seeing through the skin of things” as he stated. Is this such a terrible state to be in? I think not. “It doesn’t matter if you have nothing if you want nothing” the man said. I would definitely be interested in trying no testosterone for a few weeks if I could somehow.

Griffin Hansbury, a man who was once a woman explains what it was like for him to be pumped with testosterone for the first time. I learned from this segment that testosterone definitely governs human thought and behavior and definitely one’s sexual drive. Since he was pumped with the “testosterone of two linebackers”, he noticed effects that were probably more amplified than an average man. Griffin was unable to turn off his sex desire. “I felt like a monster” he pointed out. He began to see even random objects in a different way. He had sexual reactions to objects like red mustangs and Xerox machines. Outside of his sexual drive he noticed that he began becoming very interested in science. This may be due to his testosterone level. He also now has a hard time crying. Griffin also explains that he misses close relationships with new women as he is unable to develop them now.

In the last segment, five men and four women get their testosterone measured. It’s a big surprise that the gay male leads with almost twice the testosterone level of the other males. However we aren’t surprised to see Julie, the “most bold female”, lead in testosterone for the females. It was a surprise to me that the gay male lead with the most testosterone. However he was bald, which is apparently a sign of high testosterone levels. It definitely defeats the stereotype that high testosterone levels makes you a manly sports-loving guy, especially since he didn’t know what Sports Center was.

My personal behavior definitely is dictated by hormonal influences. Depression and anxiety have been a part of my life which I know has a lot to do with hormones. Through taking medication I’ve been able to alter those hormones and my thoughts and behavior have changed. The man without testosterone said he was without desire. I imagine that testosterone dictates a major part of my interest in art and music as I have an immense desire to make these.

Psychological Terms: Testosterone and Hormones.

I found it very surprising how much testosterone plays a role in every day life. The man who lost his testosterone experienced what seemed like a complete depression, where nothing had meaning anymore. I have done research before on effects of testosterone, like athletes using it to “better themselves”, and knew that it gave them more ambition to go after things and obviously made them able to perform better. But, I never thought having too low of levels could change the way people looked at items, what they thought about the tastes of food, or could basically cause them to lose their personality. I think when most people hear “testosterone”, they think of big men; working hard, playing sports, or having a crazy sex drive. It appears that testosterone is a lot more than just that and contributes to personality, ambition, interests, physical features, and so much more.

Terms: testosterone, depression

This video was surprisingly interesting to me. Knowing it was all about testosterone, I expected it to talk a lot about men and their always high sex drive. I was very surprised to find out how many other things testosterone affects. The first man who had very low testosterone, talked a lot about how he had no motivation or drive to do anything but sit and keep to himself. Then we heard from Griffin. He interested me even more because he talked about hormones he felt when he was a female, then how much it changed after he started taking testosterone. Griffin talked about how he could feel emotions bottling up, but had to force himself to cry to let it all out. That stuck with me over everything else because it is such a bigger deal for guys to cry than girls.

As a female, I feel hormones every month. They do make a big impact on my life; the moodiness, extra sleepiness, random cravings, and many other things that come with the joys of being a girl.
Psychology terms used: Hormones, Testosterone

As humans our brains control our thoughts feelings and emotions. This audio clip taught me that our “minds” might operate the way they do because of the levels in hormones in our bodies, not just our individual brains. People add significance to simple things that they see; such as, they associate a storm cloud with sadness, instead of taking it for what it is. It is hormones that shroud our objective view of the world with more emotions. I was surprised in all the ways testosterone affects people. The guy who had low testosterone said he had a feeling of indifference towards everything, I didn’t think testosterone gave people such profound emotions to people. I wasn’t as surprised by Griffin’s account, because most things she said are honestly daily thoughts in the life of the average guy. I never realized until now that everything I think and see is kind of filtered by my testosterone, it adds meaning to objects that isn’t actually there, and it gives me all of my thoughts and emotions. It is probably the most important factor about what makes me, me.

From this audio I learned a lot about the thoughts and behaviors of humans and how testosterone affects the lives of people. My favorite part of the audio was Act 2. Griffin, who was injected with more testosterone than two men with high testosterone levels, said some incredibly surprising things. It was so weird to hear that his interest in physics and science in general increased after injection. Maybe this could be the reason men seem to have math/science minds while women seem to have a more literature geared mind. It was also very surprising to hear how much his sexual temptation changed. I figured since he was a woman before, maybe he wouldn’t be as insensitive to checking a woman out or even be able to form more relationships with women. The best part of is interview, to me, was when he talked about how he is now more sensitive and not as masculine, because he feels he has nothing to prove. When I think about how my behavior is affected by hormones, I immediately think of my emotions and how sensitive I can be. After listening to this interview I now feel there are other ways I can identify my testosterone levels. I had no clue that my testosterone levels go up after a big win, and they go down after a loss. My interests, sexual desires, relationships with friends, and behaviors are all things that are dictated by my hormones.
Psychological terms: Hormones, Testosterone

I learned that testosterone actually does influence your thoughts and behavior. I used to think that it was just connected with sexuality and gender body part development, but in reality it affects a lot more than just that.
I was very surprised when Griffin was talking about the memory of him and his girlfriend talking in college and he described his decision to take testosterone as a "bolt of lightning." He went on to say that his attraction to females on the subway was so high that he related it to porn. Everything he looked at, or touched made him think of sex. I did not think that testosterone would affect someone so much. He even taught himself how to talk to females, which shows how strongly he was aroused due to the testosterone.
I believe that your behavior can be dictated by hormonal influences. Not just from hearing the show, but from personal experiences. I have noticed males/females being more manly, or feminine than what is expected to be the "normal" for either gender.
Terms used: Testosterone

I learned that the hormone testosterone has a powerful impact that can change a person. It can also change their personality completely. I also learned that hormone affect how girls think. It can mess up their thinking when they are on their menstrual cycle. I also had no idea before listening to this that hormones affect more than just sex drive, how you feel, and your personality. I did not realize that it can also affect aggressiveness. I was very surprised to learn that a man lost his sex drive for four months. I had no idea that, that could happen. During this time he had no desire. I did not realize my hormones were such a big part of who I am. I knew they affected your emotions and cause mood swings, especially during the menstrual cycle. But did not realize that they we such a big part of it. When we heard from Griffin that really surprised me on what he had to say. I was very interest because he talked about the hormones he had felt when he was a female. I did not realize how it could change when you took testosterone and much changed after he started taking testosterone. Griffin talked about how he could feel emotions building up inside of him. To make him feel better he had to make himself cry. That would let someone the pressure building up out and make him feel better. There was a girl I heard about during a high school psychology class that had not got her period because her female hormones were so low. It was so low that she had more testosterone, around the same about as guys. I started to piece together during this that the reason why taking hormones was good for her was because it would balance out her body. Hormones have a big impacted on my body, especially during a certain time of every month. They control my moods, cravings, sleep, and emotions. They make my feelings go up and down, go from happy to crying, and cranky to tired. I could not imagine life without hormones.

Psychology terms: Hormones, testosterone

I learned that if you do not have the right the balance of hormones your life can be altered dramatically from someone who has balanced hormones. In the first Act the man who got interviewed did not have testosterone. Him not having that made him live a life without desire. In the interview he said," I would lay in bed for two hours and feel nothing." In Act two the person who was interviewed was man who use to be a woman. As he was talking in the interview he described that in the beginning he was very sexual attracted or aroused by anything or everything. In Act three the whole group is tested to see how has more or less. Just from those three Acts I have learned that having more or less hormones can have an impact on your behavior.

I was surprised only because I never looked at testosterone like that. I am a female who deals with a monthly imbalance of hormones. For women I am not surprised just because we get our periods and people talk about it. I feel like the topic of men not having or having to much testosterone is not talked about. I know it very important to have but I did not think it would affect someones life so dramatically.

I can personal say that when I have my time of the month I am a total different person. I am not a very emotional person but soon as I get my month I become the biggest cry baby ever. Something so little makes me upset or makes me want to cry. Most of time I do end crying which makes me mad because I am not a person who cries or whines about how I am feeling. I also will feel grouchy or extremely irritable. Someone could just be talking to me and I would yell at them because I would feel annoyed. It is juts crazy to think how much hormones have an affect on who you are and how you act as a person

Terms used: Testosterone and hormones

I really enjoyed these acts in this episode. I thought they were very interesting. I learned a lot by listening to the first act. First of all, I didn’t know that testosterone was the hormone of desire. That helped me understand the rest of the act a lot better. The speaker talked about how he had a very low testosterone level so he had very little desire to do anything. He didn’t think about the taste of food so he explained how he would eat very bland foods and not think much of it. Walking around, he said, he would see a weed growing in the sidewalk and think “Wow, that’s beautiful.” He would think as if he were God, explaining how he would see things just as they are, with no judgement. I was very surprised that just one hormone could effect someone so much. I don’t think it could be much worse than being so straight forward and not having any deep thoughts about the world. We are all different people, so hormones are obviously all going to be at different levels. I think this episode just helped me understand how important all hormones are in day to day life, especially with emotions. Emotions are so necessary to live a normal lifestyle and I think it made me appreciate having emotions for once.

Terms used: Testosterone, Hormones

I learned how hormones make a big impact on our thought and behavior by listening to this radio show. Testosterone is the male sex hormone. This radio show let us to know that any change appears depending on testosterone figure. A man lost every his testosterone hormone for 4 months so his hormone figure was zero. During this time, he lost all desire and interest in everything from sexual desire to even food. As well as, it greatly influenced his life from personality that feel touching and emotional to physical change like voice and body. Griffin who changed to a man by using a large dosage of testosterone has showed some surprising results as opposed to a man that I mentioned above. She had a lot of facial hair and manly deeper voice. She was also being concerned about sexual desire. I was very surprised at the fact that hormones are involved in all sorts of desires. Before I recognize this fact, I thought that desires come from only individual values. Thus, it is very interesting that hormones affect shaping people’s desire. Our hormones can also affect how our emotion change easily during certain situations. When I watch a sad movie with my boyfriend, I am easily impressed and can cry in the story, but sometimes my boyfriend can’t understand why the movie is sad. I think that hormones can affect these emotion difference between male and female.
Psychological terms that I used: hormones, testosterone

In the recordings I was very surprised to what I learned from the recordings. I was surprised, but more shocked than anything, to hear that testosterone influences more then just the sexual drive in males. I had no idea that testosterone influenced speech, thoughts, or desires. In act 1 after the 10 minutes of recording is where I was most surprised in this act. I could not believe that testosterone completely controlled a person’s desire, in men and women. The man talks about how he had one thought when he stopped producing testosterone. His thought was that everything was so beautiful. The man’s reasoning for thinking everything was so beautiful was because he had no desire. The man said he saw everything for what is was, and that in a way he was thinking like God. In act two there was a woman who started taking testosterone to become a man. Her desires changed once she started taking testosterone. Before she started taking testosterone she was a feminist, but after she started taking testosterone she began to look at woman very differently. She was more aggressive in the way she viewed woman. In act three I learned personality traits relates to testosterone levels. When a person is bold, makes decisions quickly, kind of takes control, or is the leader of the group has higher testosterone levels. As I reflect on my behavior I would say that my testosterone levels are higher then the average males. I get angry easily, speak my mind when I do not agree with something or someone, and take the lead and sometimes get controlling over a situation. Also through out the years I have had a very strong desire to be the best an anything I do. I get angry or upset when I get beat at video or board games, or lose in practice. Things like this irritate me more than they should.

Testosterone

Overall what I learned from this broadcast was that testosterone definitely has a huge impact on our lives as human beings. It goes further than just how women and men are effected just about the same way from it. I learned that without testosterone in our bodies many things can change that we didn’t think were even effected by testosterone, such as speech and daily activities that we enjoy. I also learned that it’s almost like you’re traumatized without testosterone. Because testosterone is desire, without it we have no desire at all. It does not make sense because we can’t find the difference between what is fun and what is wrong or not fun. It controls your mind.

All of this did surprise me because I had no idea how big of an impact testosterone had on the human body as whole. I thought before this broadcast that testosterone was just for muscles and certain tasks and desires. But I was wrong and it surprised me to think that testosterone can change the way we act and can definitely change us as human beings. As a whole, my hormones are definitely affected by hormonal influences by how I love the taste of food, how I perceive activities as being fun or entertaining. Hormones effect how I grow and how I think about life and things around me. My behavior is also affected by hormones by how I act around my friends and how act around my mom and dad, its usually different but never without life.

The stories featured in this program were very educational; it was interesting to learn about the effects of testosterone, specifically in the cases of Griffin Hansbury, who changed his sex from a woman to a man and had a complete personality change, as well as the man whose testosterone levels bottomed out. The idea that this chemical made the latter man into some sort of monotonous machine is a difficult reality to grasp. The ideas of testosterone that I have always been around have been that it makes you mean and aggressive which is what makes it so fascinating to have a new (positive) light shed on it, one that makes it seem not just important but essential to living a full life. After the first interview I was surprised by the views that the radio cast had about testosterone when they were talking about having their own levels tested. The women seemed to fear the idea of having higher testosterone levels than their female coworkers and one of the women, Julie, even spoke about how, once the results came in that she had the highest testosterone level among the females, she began to perceive herself as seeming “bossy” and “aggressive” whereas, stereotypically, the men wanted to “win” the contest and be proven manly. Both the woman (Wendy) and man (Todd) with the lowest scores were upset about their levels of testosterone and brought up the fact that the man with the highest levels didn’t even know what Sports Center was, as if there should be some direct correlation between the two. Personally, as a woman who doesn’t have nearly as much testosterone as men, I found this to be enlightening in terms of the opposite sex and also very informative in regard to myself. I would like to consider myself at least a somewhat rational person when it comes to things that I do and say, however, when my testosterone increases I feel myself become somewhat emotionally unstable and thinking about it, as well as hearing the stories from this talk show, makes me empathetic to the actions of others, males and females alike.

The psychology terms I used were testosterone and hormones.

Before listening to the radio show I knew that hormones affected thoughts and behavior, but I didn’t really think about it that often. While listening to the recording it really made me think about how hormones really do affect your daily life. This exact episode just talked about the hormone testosterone but that is not the only hormone that affects thoughts and behaviors.

The first section of the recording featured a man who lost all his testosterone for four months. He talked about how he lost his drive to do anything not just his sex drive, which is what people would think that he would just lose. The fact that he lost his desire to do all things shows that testosterone affects many aspects of our lives. The other sections of the recordings went along with the first one. They too showed how testosterone affects a good amount of our thoughts and behavior. Hormones determine your thoughts and behaviors everyday of your life. The changing of hormones can cause our behaviors to change rapidly. Many times when thoughts and behaviors change we do not link that to hormones we typically just think that our mood is off or we lack sleep, but hormones have a big impact.

Personally, I was very surprised by how much hormones influence thoughts and behavior because it wasn’t something I really thought about. Yes I knew they were influential, but unless you really start thinking about how they would alter your behavior the thought doesn’t really come up. The stories on this radio recording were very surprising to me and kept me intrigued the whole time. It was a subject I hadn’t really thought about much and the stories really made me think. The stories of the people were interesting and made you think. I believe the part that was most surprising to me was that after listening to the recordings I was interested in a subject I never thought I would care about.
After listening to the recordings I thought about hormones more. It began to click in my brain that hormones really do have a huge impact. For instance, when women get emotional during their menstrual cycle. The reason most women get emotional is because of their hormones. Also I believe mood swings occur because of the change in your hormonal balance. Once you really start to think about hormones and how they relate to thoughts and behaviors it really helps you understand some of the emotional roller coasters you go through
Terms: Testosterone, Hormones

When I think of the word testosterone, I do not think of women. Just the word testosterone sounds masculine. I knew that men and women have hormones and testosterone, but I didn’t think having more of the other would change a lot of things about your body. For some examples: Your voice can change, your personality can be affected, and who you are attracted to. I found this podcast very interesting, I learned new things about how hormones and testosterone can affect oneself. I definitely think I do not have a lot of testosterone, but I do think that I have a good amount of hormones as a girl, but one thing I find is that sometimes I do not find things as emotional as they should be. I know that men can sometimes not have as much emotion as women can. So I do not know if that is something to really do with the hormones or testosterone. The terms I used in this post are hormones and testosterone.

Frankly. When I saw the title of this episode I thought, like many others, that it would be about the link between testosterone in men and their increase in sexual desire during puberty in which their levels of testosterone begin to increase rapidly. However, I was surprised when the first act started out with a man who had lost most of his testosterone levels talking about how he changed. He said that he didn't have the same desire as he used to. Almost like he had lost his emotion, he couldn't grasp the same feelings about natural beauty like he used to. This intrigued me. His example shows that testosterone isn't only a hormone that increases sexual desires, it's actually a hormone that contributes to almost all other emotions in some way or another.
In Act 2, we met a man who was a woman and wanted to be a man. He decided to have huge amounts of testosterone, the amount of two high T men, injected to speed up the process. He told us the changes that he saw during this time. One of the first things he noticed was that he had instantly become extremely attracted to women. He told us a story about when he walked by an attractive woman on the street and he tried to resist his desire to look at her breasts but ultimately his mind won. He also experienced desires for other things such as a Xerox machine and a car. This was eye opening to me as it shows that high levels of testosterone do increase the sexual desire of people along with changing how we view certain subjects of thought. I never knew that one bodily substance could have so much power in our lives.
Learning all of this has made me think a bit about how testosterone affects my daily life. As a male, I see a beautiful woman walking towards me I definitely get a feeling of desire. However, I have a strong will that I think allows me to overcome these desires as I try to be a respectful person. Another aspect would be the typical male desire to win at competition. I'm not a sports guy but even during a simple card game I tend to have a strong desire to win and beat the other males in the group. This is definitely a testosterone related desire.

Terms used: testosterone hormone

From listening to these audio radio recordings I have learned that hormones can completely change someone in many different ways from appearance to personality. One thing that really surprised me was the man who lived without testosterone. I was shocked when he said that he no longer envied or judge people, I had no clue before listening to this that testosterone effected these behaviors at all. Even though losing these qualities is a good thing he also talked about he lost desire to do pretty much everything; so this example also showed me the importance of testosterone. The next story about the women who became a man because she took a lot of testosterone I found it very interesting how he talked about how hard it was to talk to women after the change. I would have thought that it would have been easier for him, so I found that very shocking. Overall after hearing and learning more about hormones it makes me think more about how hormones are affecting my everyday life in a big way. There are not only effecting the way I look but also the way I act and react to different situations.
Terms Used: Hormones, and Testosterone

I learned that hormones play a lot bigger role in thought and behavior than I thought. Like in the first act when the man loses all desire to do anything and says he pretty much lays around all day. He said that he changed as a man without testosterone. Another example is the woman who became a man and started putting testosterone in her body. She explained that she felt changes in just a matter of days after she started taking testosterone and that she started seeing things in more sexual ways. She said that a machine in the office got her extremely excited and aroused and she didn't even know why. She also said that when she was walking past the woman in the street that the woman in her told her not to look but the urge was too much and after only a block she was turning around to check her out. it was really surprising to see how big of an effect that testosterone has on behaviors and thoughts. After watching the video I realize that testosterone dictates how I act especially being 18 and in college surrounded by people of the same age with "raging" hormones.
psychology terms: hormones testosterone

In this episode of this American life you learn that Testosterone is what governs your desire to achieve anything in your life. In the case of the man that lost all of his testosterone he lost all desire for everything, he would just spend most of his time sitting in his room doing absolutely nothing. He was unable to decide between what he thought was interesting and what wasn’t, he just looked at everything logically. As he described it, he looked at things like a “grocery list.” This has taught me that hormones contribute greatly to you behavior, they give you drive and desire to do something with your life and make something out of the world, and without it you are basically just ok with doing nothing because all your drive is gone. In the case of the woman who was injected with twice the amount of testosterone of a normal man her sex drive changed completely. It went from a more logical form thinking about how she would like to meet the girl. After she took the testosterone her sex drive became almost animalistic, she would see a girl and her mind would only go too thought of sex. She lost control of the ability to control her sexual emotions. She was much less emotional after her injection. Before, she was ok with crying and felt that it was sometimes needed. Afterwards she would have trouble crying, and if she really wanted to cry she would have to force herself to do it, and while before it was almost fulfilling for her to cry, she got no fulfillment out of crying afterwards. Testosterone is affected by feeling as well, in the case of the study of the World Cup fans the fan of the losing team lost testosterone while the fan of the winning team gain testosterone. So defeat and a sense of failure can affect the amount of testosterone that your body produces. Testosterone also leads to a sense of boldness to their behavior. In the case of my experience, I’ve noticed that if I do something good and I get a sense of accomplishment I will be more social and be more willing to step out of my comfort zone. I’m usually a pretty shy and quiet kid, but after getting a sense of accomplishment I will be more willing to talk to people that I don’t know or talk to an attractive girl that I would never usually try and talk to. I think this shows that the amount of testosterone that you have affects the way that you think and the way that you perceive situations.

Before listening to this I had no idea how big of a role testosterone plays in an everyday life, and not only testosterone but all hormones. It plays so many important roles in every day activities in routines. It is said in the first act that Testosterone is the hormone of desire, not necessarily sexual desire but in all desire. I think that this was also made very obvious in the first act when a man loses all desire to do things, even things that he used to enjoy quite a bit. Other than this, I have seen many videos and documentaries about individuals who have struggled with their identity, there Is an example in this about a woman who is transgendered and is transitioning into a man. She started to inject Testosterone and started to see very noticeable results. She was experiencing more sexual results than anything else her behavior changed very dramatically from normal behaviors from a woman to typical sexual behaviors of a man. Again, I feel as though Testosterone is a very well known term in our society, however I feel as though a very little amount of people understand how much of an impact it really has in people's lives.

I learned that testosterone plays a huge role in how a person thinks and acts from the radio show. It is not the only hormone to do this but its part is significant in that it influences behaviors such as desire and aggression. I was not surprised about this, but what caught my attention was that testosterone caused more than just sexual desire, but desire to do several other things as well. A man spoke about his experiences with having extremely low levels of testosterone and how he was very passive of things going on around him and he had no interest in what foods he ate or what activities he participated in, and how he appreciated the experience. It is known that high levels of testosterone lead to physical changes like more muscle, deeper voices, and facial hair. It can also increase aggression which may cause someone to be more violent or just bossy. As an eighteen year old male, I have an abundance of testosterone which, like most other guys, has resulted in high sexual desire. This is not the only thing, however, and I am also very aggressive when it comes to things like sports or competition, I take interest in most things that are happening around me, and nothing can stop my craving for ice cream.

Terms: Hormone, testosterone

Before Listening to this I had always had an idea about how chemicals control human behavior. Testosterone is the chemical that essentially drives us to do something, to want, to achieve. Our enviroment can and will affect not only our Testosterone levels but other Hormones as well. after listening to several stories this helps to understand that. The world cup for example, the losers lost testosterone while the winners gained. and finally the women who started to inject Testosterone into herself saw a noticeable behavior change. I think hormones are important to study in humans because the affect they hve on someone.

Terms used. Testosterone, Hormones.

The testosterone radio video was very surprising to me and how these people interpreted their experiences with testosterone and either having excessive testosterone levels or none at all. Listening to the first gentlemen talk how without having testosterone levels was very surprising how he kind of felt like he was just another person in the world, like didn’t see things for what they were. To me he made me feel like his life was very black and white, just did not care about anything including the taste of his food, when he stated that he didn’t care about what is food even tasted like was very surprising to me along with how he thought everything was beautiful yet in a very not caring way and soft tone. He had no desire for anything including sex and the basic enjoyment of tv.
When listening to the women who became a man, this gentleman was very interesting because the transition from being a “dike” to being a man was interesting to me. He went from being a girl who needed to be masculine to a man who could be himself. It was truly funny to me when he first underwent the masculine thoughts about women, how the transition from thinking like a girl to thinking like a guy was very shocking and distracting to him, yet it can honestly be an everyday occurrence for men of all ages. There was some interesting facts that he stated about the transition of being bodied up by other men in the street, how men have that natural dominance in daily life.
After listening to this radio show I am personally curious on my own levels of testosterone and if that affects my personality, I feel that I am an outgoing guy with no fear to talk to anyone along with loving sports. From listening to this it sounds like my level might be high but I am curious. When a young man is growing up its very difficult for us to talk about our feelings for some reason, more so with a guy or parent, I feel this doesn’t directly relate to testosterone as much as male masculinity and the media making us men feel that you can’t share your feelings with anyone expect another female of no relation.
terms- testosterone

In this radio show, I learned a wide variety of things dealing with testosterone. I never realized that testosterone and other hormones played such an incredibly strong role in our lives and our behaviors. Testosterone can literally affect every single aspect of your life. The man in the GQ Magazine article lost his testosterone and it largely impacted his life. He lost desire in all things he was previously interested in. From the food he ate, from the TV he used to watch, from his interest in sex, etc., it all changed when he lost his testosterone. Even the basic action of speaking was changed by no longer having testosterone. The man describes his experience of losing testosterone as a blessing. He claims that it brought him closer to God. His description of what his life was like living without testosterone is terrifying to me. I cannot imagine losing my interest in sex, food, and many other things that consume my thoughts as a fairly average male.

On the flip side of it, I would not want to acquire a large dosage of testosterone. Some of the experiences described by Griffin Hansbury were absolutely shocking to me. How many people can say that a car literally turned them on? What about a Xerox machine? The fact that testosterone can turn his world into a “pornographic world” is the craziest thought to me. The role of testosterone, in my opinion, is important for any human being, man or woman.

Psychological terms: testosterone, hormones

The Testosterone listening did not surprise me as much as I thought that it would. There is an obvious difference between men and women. It would only make sense that Testosterone has a lot to deal with our behaviors and differences. Men in general are more aggressive than what women are. Testosterone, as shown, leads to more aggressive and confident behavior. Men also view sex in a different light than what women do. Another aspect that seems to come with higher amounts of Testosterone, is baldness, which is much more common in men than it is in women.

The part that did surprise me had to deal with the lack of Testosterone. I did not realize that the lack of testosterone could cause such a change in personality. I assumed that the lack of Testosterone would only effect a man's sexual drive, but in all reality in makes them quite dis-functional. It causes a lack in motivation and a lack of interest to anything. There was nothing significant about what they saw; pigeon, weed in the cement, and a brick in the wall. The lack of Testosterone surprised me more than the affect of excessive Testosterone. The idea that Griffin's sexual drive intensified after a large dose of Testosterone was not a surprise.

I am not sure what to think of my own behavior in relative to this. As a female I would say that I am aggressive and competitive by nature. With my competitive nature I would assume that I might have a higher level of Testosterone. From my own experiences, as a woman, of extreme hormones for a full week, I definitely believe that they have a huge effect on personality and behavior.

It is surprising to me the amount your personality can change simply based on testosterone or hormones in general because it has always seemed to me that while hormones may govern your personality you can always make the conscious decision to act in whatever way you please. So I suppose I've always believed that willpower can overcome any emotion. I feel that throughout my life I have always made conscious decisions against certain emotions. But as a woman I do believe that during a period one does become more susceptible to those emotions. I for one am not generally a very emotional person and when I get angry I can usually hide it, unless I choose not to, but during my period I can have flashes of anger. However it is important to point out that just because these emotions are governed by hormones does not make them any less relevant or significant.

Terms: hormones, testosterone

Before I listened to this podcast I did not realize how much hormones like testosterone and estrogen affect our behavior and thoughts. My impression of testosterone is that just had most of it and women only have a little and it made you competitive and often angry. In reality this is not the case. Testosterone affects every aspect in ones life immensely. One person, previously female, describes adding testosterone to her body. This male describes that after testosterone he saw everything as pornographic instead of having dialogues in his mind. Everything he saw was sexual. Another man describes loosing his testosterone. This lost cause him to loose much subjectivity and see beautiful thing objectively and loose his passion. I have learned that a change in someones testosterone levels can affect you mind, body, and behavior way more than one may think.

Psychology terms: hormones, testosterone, estrogen

I learned so much about how hormones can affect how you feel about the world around you. Especially testosterone, this hormone affects everything about your personality, interests, and desire. I thought the first story was interesting, about how the lack Testosterone in his body affected his feelings. Without the hormone had no feeling of interest or disinterest, he just felt nothing. He lost interest in every aspect of his life and it really reminds me of depression. He lost the desire to do everyday activities such as watching television, reading a book, or even in the food he decided to eat. Without hormones, we have the ability to think and act, but in a very lethargic way, without anything interesting. During act two, I really started to understand that the hormone balance in men and women are different. The man explained the changes he went through when pumped with Testosterone. It was fascinating that he confirmed every suspicion about the differences between men and women’s behavior we’ve heard about since middle school, but we were never really sure were true. We learned that men want sex every second or are aroused by so many aspects of life, men don’t cry, and that they are mentally tougher than women. Some of these were true and not because all men were born that way, it was the amount of testosterone they had in their body and that women can have the qualities associated with men, because of their level of the hormone. It’s strange to think that a hormone can make these differences in gender so apparent.
I was really surprised to think that both men and women have Testosterone and that it’s important to personality. I always thought Testosterone was just a hormone men had that was part of their “manliness”, when in fact it has a lot more to do with everything like my attitude, my desire to do activities, and how I feel about aspects of life.
I’ve learned that a lot about me is affected by the different hormones within my body. My attitude depends on the hormone balance within me, and if these are off for any reason, my personality or emotions could change.
Psychology Terms: Testosterone, Hormones

Terms used- Testosterone, Estrogen, hormones

I learned that hormones play a huge role on a persons behavior. I also learned that it impacts a persons personality and behavior. In Act1 I learned that if you do not have testosterone your life will be very bland like you will not have any interest in food. In Act 2, I learned that if you like someone you will not have thoughts about harming that person. In Act 3, I learned that the higher your testosterone level is the stronger you are. I was very surprise to about the fact that what a huge role hormones play. Hormones affect my behavior when I get moody or angry.

From listening to this show I learned how much hormones actually controls out life. How they change our lives and without them or with unnatural hormones how things actually change from our everyday balanced life. Everything from emotions, ambition, the 5 senses, almost everything in our body is directly affected my hormones and from a physiological point is really changes who a person is. This the man without testosterone mentioned, he saw everything as beautiful but when he would say it he would say it very flat and uninterested. I think that I knew that hormones played a large part in our life but more for our anatomy and gender reference but not so much for the personality aspect. I was shocked at how much it changed the personality of the people with the testosterone. The women spoke of meeting women on the train before the T injecting and want to strike up a conversation with them but after her first injection of T she began to view women as a sexual, even pornographic item. I think that the behaviors that we have that are driven by hormones are almost second nature by now and that I don’t notice them. I think that we are all driven to do things outside out comfort zone because of the hormones we have in our body. Also the emotional aspect of the hormones drives us to be different than our opposite sex. Each person’s behaviors is driven by their own hormones and no 2 people are the same. I think as a woman my hormones, estrogen, drive me more to be compassionate, emotional and open. When it comes to the other sex hormones for women are supposed to make us more wanting to look for a partner, looking to have children etc. I think that I personally though don’t “cookie cutter fit” the criteria that is expected of women in those areas.
Hormones, Testosterone, Estrogen

In my mind, testosterone was the hormone of muscle growth, emotional stability, and sexual and non-sexual aggressiveness. However, the way a person thinks and behaves is significantly impacted by testosterone.

According to the American Life recording, testosterone can severely influence the way a person thinks. Testosterone gives an individual desire, both sexual and non-sexual. This means that in additional to sexual cravings, testosterone allows one to have interests and ambition, and to care enough to judge and envy. The hormone also tends to be correlated with confidence and boldness, as well as with “wolfy” but less frequent smiles – likely because the smile is more genuine, and the individual does not feel the need to exude friendliness. Additionally, high-testosterone individuals tend to be more aggressive and pushy toward others, sometimes subconsciously. In these numerous ways, testosterone can affect what many people would describe as someone’s personality.

I’ve always suspected that I have a fairly high testosterone for a female, but after listening to the podcast, I’m uncertain. Though I do tend to gain muscle easily, find almost everything interesting, have to suppress my pushiness, and find it very difficult to have, as Griffin phrased it, a “satisfying” cry, I also have a lot of low-testosterone qualities. For example, I am one of the most indecisive people I know – the hardest part of anything for me is deciding how I will approach it. Additionally, I tend to not be very bold, smile often, get bored of things quickly, and want to get to know people very deeply. Through this analysis and the American Life testimonies, it would appear that testosterone affects individuals differently, not evenly across all aspect of personality.

It has been made clear through the podcast that testosterone substantially impacts several facets of human thoughts and behavior – much further than what the public may understand or expect.

hormones, testosterone

(My last post, I stated that the effect of hormones was the most interesting topic to me. This assignment further enforced my interest – time flew!)

After listening to the article I got a good understanding of how Testosterone affects and changes our behavior from speech function to attitude and desires. The person who stopped taking the drug and started losing interest in many things including diminished sex drive was the most shocking to me. I think as we get older and we lose that part of our libido it makes you think that at least there are options available. Terms used: Testosterone, Hormones.

Listening to the testosterone audio found many things that grabbed my attention. What was interesting to me was that i though that the audio was going to be about how men testosterone and sexual desire increase. i learned that testosterone affects many parts of a person for example their personalty hormones and speech. I was very surprised at the idea that testosterone is not only used in people involved in sports or high endurance activities but its used for better situations. Testosterone now affect how i view people and how i may be seen in other people eyes and how to behave around others.
Terms: Testoserone, hormones

I learned that Testosterone is one of the strong reasons for a person's personality. aggression can be both a good and a bad thing though. it helps in some cases to motivate you but it can cause you to go overboard on something. Testosterone really shapes a man's character, without it they would be boring but calm and peaceful as well. The person who didn't have testosterone for four months had his entire personality completely shaped into something he was not which is mindboggling. Women have twice the testosterone at times which is why I can see why the "angry women stereotype" comes from. Imagine having no desire or motivation in life, you would not be interested in anything in life, it would be so dull but you would have a relaxing serenity in life.
you notice a lot more when you don't have testosterone in your system, I guess not having a goal in life or motivation, you just notice everything around you with a lot more detail.
Testosterone shots for women wanting to be men is also a very interesting concept. It changes the mindset of an individual to a man's view. The desire and changes by these shots are amazing. I never thought that something that every person produced naturally would have such a strong effect.
The sexual desires by the testosterone dosages are crazy, just like the woman who took it to become a man, he began to attain very strong sexual desires just because of the dosages. He also began to like science, so it is possible that he became interested just after the T. it made him motivated or grow passion for new things.
If I was ever affected by Testosterone, I am not sure what would happen to me, I am a very calm person, I don't feel much aggression towards anything so that might rise. I do have motivation but I can only imagine how dedicated I would be after The T.
Sexual desires would probably be at the level of the teenage years. It would make you way more mature honestly but very immature in some aspects at the same time. would be a very intense experience in my opinion.

From this video what I learned is that testosterone has a lot of control over your emotions. It can alter how you think, how you feel and can even change your personality. Testosterone can make a man manlier and what makes females more feminine is estrogen. From watching this video I learned that testosterone can really change your life. It has control over your interests and the way you look at the world and other people. I have also learned that the changing of hormone levels is what effects a person’s attitude. In act one, I thought that it was interesting how the man said that living without testosterone changed his life and he had no desire to do anything anymore and not only changed his personality but said that the testosterone changed him mentally as well. I never would have guessed that testosterone had that much control over a person’s life. What also interested me was listening to act two about the woman taking testosterone to change into a man. This taught me that testosterone is a powerful thing to have and can change you in many ways. Positively if you would like it to, and negatively. It’s amazing to me how testosterone can make a man act differently than it would a woman. My behavior may be dictated in many ways. I don’t think I would want any testosterone because I am a woman and it seems like testosterone should be used for me to keep them manlier.
Psychological Terms: Estrogen, Testosterone, and Hormones

I learned that the hormones have a lot to do with the thought process and how people act, and this is why there are male/female stereotypes. It was very interesting but I was not very surprised by this because my dad actually had to take testosterone at one point because he had some sort of imbalance. What he had was a type of cream that he would rub on his arm. He would have to wash his hands promptly because if he came into contact with us, it could mess with our growth and we girls could have gotten some male attributes. (Eg. Facial hair, ect.)
Since I am a woman with estrogen I assume it has effects on me that have to do with it. Like testosterone, estrogen makes up the stereotypes we have as women. Things like, being emotional or talking things out with people. We women tend to be less aggressive and more caring.
Testosterone, estrogen.

Before I listened to the broadcast I had the notion that testosterone controlled how much hair a person would grow on his face or how low his voice would be, but I never thought that it would also control how a person is motivated or how he views the world. It seems like a great deal of our thoughts are governed by hormones. I was quite surprised when it took away the ambitions of the first man and increased the lust desire for Griffin. The third act had me thinking about how hormones work in me and what it would be like if I did not have them. The first interview specified on how a man had lost testosterone and had also lost a sense of who he was. That would be horrible to not feel like an individual person and feel like someone who just exists without ambition or dreams.

I learned that testosterone has a very detrimental effect on how one acts whether you are male or female. I was surprised on how physically it changed her and on the way she carried herself with activeness. Testosterone has an immense dictation on how one behaves emotionally as well. With the lack of it being release it causes you to be calm and almost lazy, but an increase causes you to be aggressive and increased sex drive. Being a man I find my mind wanders to sex but doesn't cause me to do anything irrational by any means but it does create me to do stupid things in some instances if I am trying to impress or make someone laugh. It's easy to tell what emotions or chemicals drive people to do certain things. this helps with if one wants to do more driven to do a certain task or action to take a certain hormone to accelerate and aid themselves.
Terms: hormones and testosterone

I learned that human thought and behavior is heavily governed by hormones. What someone may say is what defines themselves may change depending on how much testosterone they have, whether it be more or less than what is normal for them. People can feel stronger desires or none at all. Testosterone can have a significant impact on our likes, wants, desires, physical features, and social interactions. The way we look at others and the way they look at us can change with different levels of the hormone. Basically, it can change our whole perception of ourselves and the world around us. This all came as a somewhat surprise to me. I did not think about it at first, but when I thought about it for a while as I was listening to the broadcast it all made sense wasn't really shocking. The only thing that was quite surprising was hearing about the man who had a lack of testosterone and how that affected his mood, desires, etc. When thinking about myself, I see certain aspects, feelings, and desires that could be attributed to testosterone, such as what video games I like to play, what movies I watch, what I eat, what music I listen to, etc. Some other aspects, like being somewhat more sensitive, empathetic and emotional at times, as well as a disinterest in typical male activities (like competitive sports, cars, etc.) could suggest that my level of testosterone is perhaps less than the average for men.

Terms: hormone, testosterone