Are Liberal Males Low in Testosterone?
We all know of the stereotype of the “Soy Boy;” the effeminate male with the most progressive possible views who smiles with his mouth open. An internet meme, the Soy Boy embodies so much about the stereotypical liberal male. He is physically weak, he allows himself to dominated by females, he is ultra-Woke; he is low in testosterone. But is this really the case? Most stereotypes contain at least a grain of truth, and a growing body of research indicates that this one contains very much more than that.
As I have discussed in my book The Past is a Future Country: The Coming Conservative Demographic Revolution, a great deal of Wokeness involves being extremely socially conformist. Left-wing people are high in anxiety (as are females compared to males) [Mental Illness and the Left, By E. Kirkegaard, Mankind Quarterly, 2020], which means they fear a fair fight, so they attain status covertly via virtue-signalling. In a leftist society, this means competitively signalling their adherence to liberal values; concern with “Equality” and “Harm Avoidance.”
In fact, more general research has found that in religious societies “extrinsic religiousness” (outward religious conformity) is associated with anxiety [Primary personality trait correlates of religious practice and orientation, By P. Hills et al., Personality and Individual Differences, 2004]. With its Pride Month, emotional public displays, dogmas, martyrs (such as George Floyd) and dominance of all institutions, it can reasonably be argued that Wokeness is a kind of replacement religion.
We would, therefore, expect the Woke to be low in testosterone. Testosterone makes you confident and assertive. High levels of anxiety, unsurprisingly, are associated with low levels of testosterone according to recent cutting edge research [Interplay between hippocampal TACR3 and systemic testosterone in regulating anxiety-associated synaptic plasticity, By M. Wojtas et al., Molecular Psychiatry, 2024]. And what do we find high levels of social conformity are associated with? You guessed it. Low levels of testosterone.
A study in the journal Social Psychologi cal and Personality Science argues that minority positions — that is, standing-up against the opinion of the majority — are perceived as risky options and so, in that testosterone is positively associated with status seeking and risk-taking, it would be likely that people who were high in testosterone would be more likely to be brave enough to adopt minority positions. In two studies, a total of 250 participants were read messages that:
. . . were supported by either a numerical majority or minority. As hypothesized, individuals’ levels of basal testosterone were positively related to susceptibility to minority influence. In contrast, susceptibility to majority influence was unaffected by basal testosterone. Given the importance of minorities for innovation and change within societies, our results suggest that individuals with high levels of testosterone may play an important role as catalysts of social change.
Testosterone also militates against conformity at the group-level. My research group has found that when you control for a nation’s average IQ — and no matter what the critics say, national IQs strongly correlate with other national level indicators of intelligence — then the big predictor of per capita science Nobel Prizes — major, boat-rocking, vested-interests-shattering innovations — is national-level testosterone [National-Level indicators of androgens are related to the global distribution of number of scientific publications and science Nobel prizes, By D. van der Linden et al., Journal of Creative Behavior, 2020]. This is discerned by a number of markers including prevalence of specific forms of a gene, number of sex partners, regularity of sexual intercourse, prostate cancer prevalence, the masculine shape of the hands (2D:4D ratio), hairiness and, in a separate study, the testosterone markers of autism and left-handedness [Why do high IQ societies differ in intellectual achievement? The role of schizophrenia and left-handedness in per capita scientific publications and Nobel prizes, By E. Dutton et al., Journal of Creative Behavior, 2020].
Low testosterone, then, means high conformity, as reflected in Woke males; who are evidently hyper-conformists in a Woke culture. In fact, a different study found that the mere administration of testosterone is sufficient to make people more right-wing in our current leftist society.
A study of males found that when weakly-affiliated Democrats were administered testosterone their support for the Democrats fell; in other words a “Red Shift” was induced, with their feelings of warmth towards the Republicans increasing by 45%. They also reported markedly improved mood, which would make sense because their levels of anxiety would likely have decreased. Before the testosterone administration occurred, the strongly-affiliated Democrats had lower testosterone levels than the weakly-affiliated Democrats, as we might predict.
It’s unclear why testosterone administration did not induce a significant Red Shift in the strong Democrats. Possibilities may include that their leftism is motivated by different aspects of the personality trait Neuroticism (negative feelings). They are not left-wing because they are anxious but, rather, because they are angry and resentful of those whom they see as having power over them. Testosterone, in making them more aggressive, is only going to strengthen these feelings. Leftism is associated not just with anxiety but also with low Agreeableness and poor impulse control; that is psychopathic traits or traits related to psychopathy [Corrigendum to ‘The nature of the relationship between personality traits and political attitudes’ [Personal. Individ. Differ. 49 (2010): 306–316], By B. Verhulst et al., Personality and Individual Differences, 2016].
As I have noted elsewhere, in a Republican or strong Democrat, psychological and possibly genetic factors are so robust that testosterone is less influential. However, the psychological make-up in moderate leftists is more environmentally plastic and, thus, testosterone is more influential. Alternatively, testosterone increases risk-taking, which might cause weakly affiliated Democrats — who are similar in testosterone levels to Republicans — to “risk” a “Red Shift” for which they might normally feel guilty given prevailing societal attitudes.
But, overall, the stereotype is cautiously confirmed. Compared to conservative males, liberal males are weak and effete. They are low-testosterone Soy Boys, and this explains their anxiety and their thoroughly cowardly behaviour of virtue-signalling to attain status: The boys who were bullied in the playground are now dictating the social rules in many Western countries.
In the end of day, they are all White and stupid, as you…
@Santoculto
“…they are all White and stupid, as you…”
Was it this that offended you? “…the effeminate male with the most progressive possible views who smiles with his mouth open. An internet meme, the Soy Boy embodies so much about the stereotypical liberal male.”
No need to take it so personally and dish out such spleen. It wasn’t directed – particularly – at you.
Two times i tested my test was on normal range.
No. It’s just a simplified conclusion about most stuff happening now in the West. A pervasive pattern.
Anyway, any overgeneralization fall on the category of stupidity.
“Liberals” tend to be more diverse on psychology, cognition style and hormonal composition than “Conservatives”. Yes, it’s very likely there are more lib males who express lower testosterone and it can be link to some or many of their behavioral and ideological features. But it doesnt mean most them do.
Also the explanations for this already wrong overgeneralization seems worse. Like “it’s make them more conformist”. Well, maybe but Conservatives tend to be conformists as well. Actually, Conservatives are the original archetype of social conformism.
When hbdears try to deep on sociological explanations, they often show up an oversimplification.
Prenatal exposure to hormones during the first trimester of pregnancy probably shape the brain more than post natal levels. Leftism more closely follows the pattern of left-handedness; which is 25% heritable and 75% environmentally determined through prenatal factors like hormone levels; stress; nutrition; toxins and sun exposure.
In general black males have higher levels of testosterone than white males but most blacks are democrats. The authors hypothesis is too simple.
Blacks tend to be socially conservative in the Caribbean and Africa…..they only vote Democrat in the USA for freebies; not because they agree with the LGBTQ or feminism.
That would be a different study:
A ‘surprising’ increased level of violence was observed in males who were given testosterone shots and simultaneously had their IQ lowered 15 points on average.
On the other hand, apparently the Republicans in Congress are the wimps and low T guys. Do they ever take risks?
Interesting points. Hey, just a heads up, Ted Sallis’s new book is out.
https://archive.org/details/after-the-deluge-ts-1
I am certainly not a “Hitlerist” (and I will never become one, if only because I deeply detest and reject all militarism, collectivism and uniformity in whatever form). I am also against coercive state measures, unless they are clearly and unmistakably used to protect a healthy ethnocultural state.
For example, with regard to all depravity through “liberalization” of drugs, LGBTQ perversion, pornography, pedophilia, etc. But I am also against the censorship of dissident material practiced by today’s philosemitic agenda. https://counter-currents.com/2022/09/a-beginners-guide-to-the-jewish-question/
https://www.wintersonnenwende.com/scriptorium/english/welcome.html
“We dont need no education (because education always only means in truth fascism, or so)”: Has the “Prussian education system” https://linkmix.co/24057092 corrupted America’s schools? Some Americans claim it has. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Taylor_Gatto
The crucial question – as with everything that has advantages and disadvantages – is probably what and how something is taught and conveyed in schools. Let’s take our current, completely rotten and dysfunctional “education system” with its “liberalist” values in schools where aggressive bullies dominate their teachers without consequence.
Is that perhaps preferable to the strict Prussian ideal of education? We can probably agree that this trash culture, which is actually an unculture, this mental neglect and pampering through superfluous consumerism that perverts all values, is not an acceptable alternative.
However, I also prefer the model of home schooling (apparently banned in Europe), albeit in a hybridized version that also welcomes children on a daily basis who are non-family members. However, in my view, parents would first have to pass a test as competent educational mediators. After all, you also have to pass a driving test to operate a car.
PS: In any case, one thing is clear: Teaching “Prussian virtues” in our schools and in our families would help solve some of our most pressing problems, not in one fell swoop, but in the medium term. In principle, we are now living in a mentally ill age in which practically every one of these virtues has been turned into its exact opposite. I wonder who is really behind this? Well, you can guess: which are the most Germanophobic “peoples” on earth (please compile a list of at least 5 candidates with Prussian thoroughness and accuracy!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_virtues
Perhaps the very best essay I have ever seen on TOO.
It is always a blessing to have someone articulate what everyone else suspects.
@Edward: Are you talking about:
(A) right wing or
(B) Republican or
(C) conservative outlook?
These are not the same thing, not today anyway. They aren’t interchangeable, though there is a little bit of overlapping in some cases.
I see so many self-described conservatives and most Republicans as being as useless (to our cause) as any liberal or Democrat.
Also: you state, “Low testosterone, then, means high conformity”. So, a long time ago, in more “traditional” times, pre-liberalism, when everyone embraced the same outlook, all the men were low-T? Or does this apply only to the present?
Sincere questions, I am not criticizing you – I just don’t quite understand. I kind of agree with commenter WCH.
I don’t know much about testosterone levels and that sort of stuff. My opinion it doesn’t really matter. We live in a jew created controlled controlled created controlled created nightmarish world.
You’re in denial or blind if can’t see it. There was a time a man and woman could get away from the filth but it’s almost impossible now. Even the churches few to none are no longer a refuge from this satanic world. What’s the answer? Who knows. But there’s still faith. All things work for the glory of God. Faith in God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Remember the Russians endured the bolshivics and we can endure too. God bless all who desire righteousness.
It’s easier. They’re hipsters, ‘all their lives dogs looking for a master.’
https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/the-white-negro-fall-1957/