By Brad Palubicki,

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 It is a well-known fact that men typically produce 10 to 20 times more testosterone than women. Besides being responsible for a number of key bodily functions, testosterone is also known to affect our behavior. Typically it is thought that men with higher testosterone levels exhibit more dominance and assertion in their behavior.

But what if the behavior itself could affect our testosterone levels?

Well, according to new research by the University of Michigan, our behavior has a direct effect on our testosterone production! The researchers found that acting like a boss, i.e. in a confident and assertive manner, leads to an immediate boost in production of the hormone in both men and women.

To test their hypothesis, scientists asked a group of men and women to perform in two different scenes. In one scene, the participants were asked to act bossy and fire an employee without any remorse. For the other version, the subjects were asked to act with more compassion and less confidence about their decision.

The participants’ saliva samples, taken immediately before and after performing their ascribed roles, showed that both scenarios led to an increase in their testosterone production. However, the researchers were surprised to see that while male testosterone levels increased by 3-4 percent, women experienced an average of 10 percent boost in their hormone production.

The research opened an interesting new perspective on gender roles, behavior and the correlation between the two. In this blog, I hope to further explore the important role testosterone plays in women’s bodies and why it is just as important for women to keep track of their testosterone as it is for men.

Stay tuned…