How does testosterone affect behavior?

Aggression and testosterone come together like peanut butter and jelly. Right?

The stereotype of aggression and macho males are pretty standard, from the little league games to the movies to the gyms. As a usual observer, you might be tempted towards high testosterone as a competitive behavior, but unfortunately, there is much more to add to this story.

Here is the detail of “how does testosterone affect behavior.”

Testosterone’s role in the body

As the primary sex hormone in men, testosterone has some vital jobs. It plays a crucial role in the sex drive and regulation of the male reproductive organ. Besides, in men, it is also responsible for manly characteristics like deep voices, facial hair, muscle size, penis development, and growth.

Testosterone also affects the body’s ability to burn and store fat, create blood vessels, and keep your mood steady. That’s why it becomes vital to maintain the average testosterone level in the body for proper functioning. If the T levels get high or low, it can affect weight, change the mood, and even have a dangerous effect on fertility.

Testosterone and Mood

Firstly let me make a thing clear; testosterone has a substantial impact on mood. Like all other hormones, it’s vital to find the right balance. You want the testosterone to keep up with your body functioning, but don’t let it conceal the work of other hormones.

For example, experts say you can become overly energetic and irritable if you take too many thyroid hormones. It can lead to the point where you will not be functional in society.

An average level is essential as you will experience mood changes at high and low levels.

Can testosterone make you aggressive?

Guys who overuse exogenous anabolic steroids, the human-made version of testosterone to increase their athletic performance and muscle mass, get aggressive from time to time.

However, it’s still difficult to explain if the high testosterone level is the main culprit.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there is the possibility that steroid users have some personality trait that makes them more aggressive. Besides, there are chances that steroid users may abuse opioids, marijuana, alcohol, and cocaine, which affect the person’s mood.

The Psychoneuroendocrinology finding states that the high doses of steroids in a small men group suggest that the hormonal changes were the leading cause behind the aggression. Research also found that the increase in the thyroid hormones like thyroxine has a direct relationship with anger. Besides, the testosterone increase causes the symptoms like poor concentration, poor memory, and forgetfulness.

Men’s behavior becomes irritable when their testosterone level falls below average. The common clinical term for low testosterone is male hypogonadism. Its common effects include changes in mood like hypomania, depression, and anxiety. Mood change is also known as andropause, called male menopause.

So, how does testosterone affect your behavior? Testosterone regulates your mood; it makes you cranky and irritable as soon as its level falls. At the same time, when the level gets higher than average, it affects your concentration and memory.

Can testosterone cause anxiety?

The experts are still arguing on the question; of how testosterone affects behavior. According to the researchers, sex hormones like testosterone can impact brain organization and development during puberty. In males, such changes can result in high anxiety levels. But most of the research was on rodents, and the results were continuously different.

As a result, we can be sure that the T levels are behind the anxiety, but the fluctuations in the T levels are linked to depression. The low T levels result in depression. Even though depression and anxiety are two different things, they often come together. That means when your low T levels result in depression, you may also become anxious.

How testosterone causes anger?

Here is the detailed answer to the question; how does testosterone affect behavior?

1. High level

The leading cause behind aggression is the sudden increase in testosterone levels. Females may also go through aggression and high testosterone issues while on testosterone therapy. It happens commonly with pallet therapy as it causes a sudden increase in testosterone levels. It doesn’t always occur but is a common hormone pellet therapy side effect.

2. Knowing your body

Another thing to consider is understanding your own body. Once you start with testosterone therapy, you may feel terrific and think that your works get easier or you are in the flow. Suppose you have your testosterone at a level of nine hundred to thousand. But someone might be at the same level and feel too anxious, irritable, and almost at the edge.

The testosterone level differs in people and is specific for every person to ensure he is not feeling angry, anxious, irritable, or angry. Besides, it can be a circumference that lets you know your life’s tendencies. If you start getting these symptoms, that doesn’t mean you can’t take them.

Instead, adjust the dose to the point where you can get the benefit, not the side effects.

3. Estrogen

The other common cause of anger and anxiety is testosterone therapy due to estrogen levels. In both males and females, an imbalance of estrogen levels results in stress and irritability. It results in aggression, but the low testosterone in males can have a more prominent and aggressive feeling.

So while on testosterone therapy, both males and females need to look after their testosterone levels. You can feel the imbalance in the T levels by its symptoms, and you will also feel worse, or at least not every day. Besides, it’s essential to check your estrogen level throughout the period.

For example, if you use the testosterone cream daily, that will not affect you as long as you check the blood vessels. You may not be able to get accurate information if you are checking it at last. The same goes for the injections. If you do the injection every one or two weeks, check the estrogen levels at the closest point or the peak. But if you are not checking, you will likely get the symptoms.

4. High testosterone levels

Another vital thing to take care of while using steroids is high testosterone levels. Suppose you are using testosterone to build up muscle mass without checking the associated muscle mass without supervision and even the status. Most of the testosterone that benefits muscle mass is the synthetic testosterone form.

This testosterone acts differently in muscle growth and affects the psyche. Testosterone cypionate works identically to natural testosterone and is most commonly used in the doctor’s office.

However, like the other synthetics, the high T levels of testosterone cypionate can also do this. In both cases, it comes with a cost to your mood. Hopefully, it gives a detailed answer to your question; how does testosterone affect behavior?

Conclusion

Some other symptoms of low testosterone lead to fatigue, like anger, irritability, and aggression. You can easily get irritated with many things when you have low energy and can’t do the X, Y, or Z. You can get irritated when you aren’t able to do it. You may get annoyed when you aren’t able to do it or are too tired to do so.

You may also feel like not doing it at all. Instead of admitting that you feel tired, you might lash out. So if low testosterone is the leading cause, these symptoms will go away with treatment. Whether it the topical testosterone or injectable or maybe testosterone pellets. It will get better with time.

However, if the level gets too high, passing the average marks, you can also experience symptoms like anxiety, aggression, and anger.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

• Does high testosterone affect emotions?

Low and high testosterone effects vary, but both involve a wide range of mood changes. It often overlaps with mood swings and mood disorder symptoms.

• Does high testosterone cause aggression or anger?

The early correlational and anecdotal evidence suggests high circulating testosterone levels in men. It also associates with the increase in typical male behavior like anger and physical aggression.

• What are the physical signs of high testosterone?

When the testosterone level in men becomes high, it can result in different symptoms and signs. It can include:

• Is anger a symptom of low testosterone?

Men who have low testosterone level feels that they have low emotional reserves. Generally, people combine high testosterone levels with male anger. But according to the research, low testosterone is linked with anger and behavioral changes. A standard T level makes the men more cranky.