Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling out the most common myth surrounding testosterone. In his July 23 Arnold’s Pump Club newsletter, he explained why taking testosterone won’t leave men feeling more aggressive.
“Does Testosterone Lead To Reckless Thinking? – You’ve heard the theory, maybe used it as a punchline. Testosterone makes you more impulsive, floods your brain with confidence, and kills the ability to catch a bad decision before it happens. And that doesn’t even mention the most common belief about aggressiveness.”
With seven Mr. Olympia titles sitting on his mantle, Schwarzenegger is easily one of the most successful professional bodybuilders in the sport’s history. It’s been decades since he’s graced a stage, but his passion for health and fitness still motivates him daily. Though we’ve heard about ‘roid rage‘ on multiple occasions, Schwarzenegger explained why testosterone by itself doesn’t cause aggression.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Explains Whether Testosterone Really Causes Aggression
According to Schwarzenegger, scientists have found that taking testosterone doesn’t cause people to become aggressive.
“Scientists have tested the idea, and the answer is more interesting than the myth because testosterone does not influence mood or decision-making the way most people think. And it doesn’t create angry people.”
He believes this myth was created after a decade-old study where participants took a short reasoning test made up of trick questions.
“The connection between testosterone and decision-making took off with one study about a decade ago. Men were given testosterone or a placebo, then took a short reasoning test built around trick questions. The testosterone group did worse, and the headlines exploded, turning one study into irrefutable fact.”
This research was challenged by other labs, prompting a new study:
“But it was refuted. Other labs ran the test three more times and came up empty. But the die was cast, and everyone remembered the first study. Then something rare happened that we wish would happen more often in science: the scientists with opposing findings teamed up.”
“The original researcher and his critics designed one study together and tested 1,000 men. Every prediction was locked in before a single result was analyzed, which helped ensure that nobody could move the goalposts later.”
Their findings revealed that testosterone did not affect reasoning after they tested risk-taking, fairness, generosity, and competitiveness.
“Testosterone did not affect reasoning. It didn’t make men slower, faster, or worse. And a companion trial on the same men tested risk-taking, fairness, generosity, and competitiveness across nine separate measures. And once again, no difference.”
In a separate study, over 5,000 older men took testosterone, and scientists found no change in cognition.
“When we looked at the studies, one finding jumped out. Both groups guessed they answered 5 of 7 questions correctly. In reality, on average, they only answered three of them. Testosterone or placebo, it wasn’t the hormones. Instead, it might be that men are overconfident.”
“The study did have limits. Most notably, this isn’t a study of anyone on TRT. It was a single dose in men between the ages of 18 and 45. However, longer trials suggest the same outcome. A 12-month study in older men and a 27-month study in more than 5,000 men both tested the impact of TRT on cognition and found no effect.”
Additionally, a placebo-controlled trial showed that testosterone by itself did not make men more aggressive.
“One more thing, because you’re probably wondering: what about aggression? In a placebo-controlled trial, testosterone by itself did not make men more aggressive. However, there was an exception: among men already high in dominance or low in self-control, researchers observed greater aggression.”
Ultimately, Schwarzenegger believes testosterone only amps up aggression if that’s part of your personality.
“And a meta-analysis of 12 randomized steroid trials backed up that finding by observing a small bump in aggression men reported about themselves, but no bump in what observers actually watched them do.”
“So does testosterone make you aggressive? Not on its own, but maybe a little in men already wired that way. The hormone doesn’t change your personality. At most, it turns up the volume on who you already are.”
Bodybuilding veteran Lee Priest argues there’s truth behind these findings. He recently pointed out that anyone who has roid rage is a ‘fuc**ng asshole’ by nature. He likened it to drinking, sharing that some are happy and others become irate.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is adamant that testosterone won’t make you aggressive unless you already have those tendencies. He added that it hasn’t been shown to impact cognition either, challenging one of the most common myths surrounding the hormone.
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