Testosterone has far less to do with aggression than most assume. Within the normal range, individual differences in testosterone levels don’t predict who will be aggressive. Moreover, the more an organism has been aggressive, the less testosterone is needed for future aggression."
The first hint of a complication comes after castration, when average levels of aggression plummet in every species. But, crucially, not to zero. Well, maybe the castration wasn’t perfect, you missed some bits of testes. Or maybe enough of the minor adrenal androgens are secreted to maintain the aggression. But no—even when testosterone and androgens are completely eliminated, some aggression remains. Thus, some male aggression is testosterone independent.fn1"
The first hint of a complication comes after castration, when average levels of aggression plummet in every species. But, crucially, not to zero. Well, maybe the castration wasn’t perfect, you missed some bits of testes. Or maybe enough of the minor adrenal androgens are secreted to maintain the aggression. But no—even when testosterone and androgens are completely eliminated, some aggression remains. Thus, some male aggression is testosterone independent.fn1"
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