Hey, this is Brett. We're taking a break this week from new episodes to celebrate the

holidays and rest and relax. But we're going to re-broadcast episode number 761, how testosterone

makes men, men with Dr. Carol Hoven. Hope you enjoy it and we'll see you next week with

a brand new episode.

Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast. What creates

the differences between the sexes? Many would point to culture and my guests would agree

that culture certainly shapes us. But she'd also argue that at the core of the divergence

of the sexes and in particular of how men think and behave is one powerful hormone, testosterone.

Her name is Dr. Carol Hoven. She's a Harvard biologist and the author of T, the story of

testosterone, the hormone that dominates and divides us. Today on the show, Carol explains

the arguments that are made against testosterone's influence on shaping men into men and why

she doesn't think they hold water. She then impacts the argument for how testosterone

does function as the driving force in sex differences and how it fundamentally shapes

the bodies and minds of males. We delve into where T is made, how much of it men have compared

to women, and what historical cases of castration tell us about the centrality of testosterone

in male development. We then discuss how T shapes males starting in the womb and going

into puberty and beyond before turning to its influence in athletic performance. And

we inter-conversation with Carol's impassionably for celebrating what's great about men.

The show's over check at our show notes at a-m dot i s slash T.

Carol Hoven, welcome to the show. Thanks so much for having me, Brett.

So you got a book called T, the story of testosterone, the hormone that dominates and divides

us. So you have spent your career studying the physiological and psychological effects

...