Well, apparently many scientists have. Gerbils have been used as a model for studying testosterone’s effect on behavior in a surprisingly large amount of research. Post menopausal women are still a complete mystery to modern science, but the hormone optimization of Mongolian gerbils is very well understood. Priorities I guess.
Researchers wanted to know how social context affected testosterones impact on behavior. The effect of testosterone on gerbils living with their bonded female partner was compared with its effect on interactions with an unknown male gerbil. The results were shocking and adorable. What they found was that when administered to gerbils living in isolation with their bonded partner, the testosterone caused the gerbils to become more cuddly and affectionate. They then introduced a male “intruder” to their gerbil soap opera and were again surprised with the result. The males given increased testosterone were actually friendlier to the uninvited guests than those who were not given additional testosterone.
The researchers then gave the gerbils even more testosterone and observed a more typical territorial aggressive response. But don’t worry, veterinarians were on standby to take care of any injuries sustained during the rodent fight club. But could this behavior have been caused by something else? When administering the additional testosterone did they leave the female gerbil alone with the male intruder? Perhaps the change in behavior was caused by romantic tension and not testosterone. The researchers seemed to be trying to force a certain result despite the outcome being quite the opposite of what they had anticipated. No reality T.V. is any good without a little manufactured drama. It would seem that despite the observation of prosocial behaviors resulting from testosterone they were a bit biased in their search for aggression or anti social gerbil tendencies. (Wouldn’t that be a great college town band name? Anti-Social Gerbil Tendencies).
The design of the study was… interesting. Researchers enhanced the romantic atmosphere by introducing urine soaked bedding to the gerbils enclosure to promote “social bonding.”
Apparently, instead of Tinder, gerbils use urine to communicate and find a mate. Who would have guessed that gerbils have such complicated love live’s and peculiar mating rituals?
But who am I to kink shame a gerbil?
Juana, L., Vázquez-Gaytán, B., Martínez-Torres, M., Carmona, A., Ramos-Blancas, G., & Ortíz, G. (2010). Neither testosterone levels nor aggression decrease when the male Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) displays paternal behavior. Hormones and Behavior, 57(3), 271–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.12.007
Kelly, A. (2022, August 15). Testosterone promotes ‘cuddling,’ not just aggression, animal study finds. Emory University. https://news.emory.edu/stories/2022/08/esc_testosterone_animal_study_15-08-2022/story.html
Piña-Andrade, S., Ramos, G., Cárdenas-León, M., Martínez, A., Romero-Morales, L., Martínez-Torres, M., Cedillo-Ildefonso, B., & Luis, J. (2020). Testosterone dependent territorial aggression is modulated by cohabitation with a female in male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Hormones and Behavior, 117, 104611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104611
Can't believe a gerbil's love life is better than mine. Besides that, this study of testosterone is quite interesting. There are studies that displays a relationship between testosterone and aggression. "...although some evidence suggests that women who are high in testosterone and low in cortisol show heightened aggression" (Denson et al., 2018). Introducing the urine soaked bedding as communication (via pheromones) may play a role to their romance. Now applying that to humans that have testosterone, there is still a missing component of pheromones. There is a analysis by Richard L. Dotty (2014), exploring if pheromones exist in humans. Do humans have pheromones and is we do, are there receptors for them? What exactly is a pheromone, does it differ between animals?
ReplyDeleteDenson, T. F., O'Dean, S. M., Blake, K. R., & Beames, J. R. (2018). Aggression in Women: Behavior, Brain and Hormones. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 12, 81. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00081
Dotty, R.L. Human Pheromones: Do They Exist? In: Mucignat-Caretta C, editor. Neurobiology of Chemical Communication. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, Chapter 19. (2014) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK200980/
Thanks for keeping me honest with your feedback Rachel. It does seem clear that testosterone is linked to aggression, but there is so much more nuance to it then it simply being "the angry chemical." It seems so important for researchers to be careful what fundamental truths they assume to be correct when doing research. In reviewing the links you provided I went down a rabbit hole and discovered that there is actually a special organ in animals that detects pheromones called a vomeronasal organ. Apparently, humans have one, but it is vestigial and doesn't function. I would imagine there is still a connection to smell and "romantic interest" in humans although through regular olfactory pathways.
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