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Ancient Skulls Show Civilization Rose As Testosterone Fell

Posted by samzenpus on from the no-low-t-cream-please dept.

An anonymous reader writes Even though modern humans started appearing around 200,000 years ago, it was only about 50,000 years ago that artistry and tool making became popular. New research shows that society bloomed when testosterone levels in humans started dropping. A paper published in the journal Current Anthropology, suggests that a testosterone deficit facilitated the friendliness and cooperation between humans, which lead to modern society. "Whatever the cause, reduced testosterone levels enabled increasingly social people to better learn from and cooperate with each other, allowing the acceleration of cultural and technological innovation that is the hallmark of modern human success," says University of Utah biology graduate student Robert Cieri.

8 of 387 comments (clear)

  1. correlation, causation by roc97007 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have trouble with pronouncements like these, because it's so easy to jump to conclusions about correlation and causation.

    It seems like their conclusion might have a Politically Correct component. Could it be instead that civilization caused a general lowering of testosterone, because high testosterone levels were no longer vital to survival?

    --
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    1. Re:correlation, causation by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Could it be instead that civilization caused a general lowering of testosterone, because high testosterone levels were no longer vital to survival?

      If you follow evolutionary theory, that's the first conclusion one should reach. To assume otherwise is quite scientifically naive. As humans became more proficient at survival and had more time on their hands, being able to sit still and think for a little while was likely a good thing.

    2. Re:correlation, causation by wisnoskij · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It is also the only reasonable theory form a biological standpoint, as Testosterone has been studied exhaustively and simply does not in anyway reduce cooperation or friendliness. In fact in general testosterone seems to be positively correlated to number of friends and ability to cooperate.

      Why should it have the opposite effect in ancient humans?

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    3. Re:correlation, causation by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 5, Informative

      http://www.sciencedaily.com/re...

      The study's results, however, contradict this view sharply. Test subjects with an artificially enhanced testosterone level generally made better, fairer offers than those who received placebos, thus reducing the risk of a rejection of their offer to a minimum. "The preconception that testosterone only causes aggressive or egoistic behavior in humans is thus clearly refuted," sums up Eisenegger. Instead, the findings suggest that the hormone increases the sensitivity for status. For animal species with relatively simple social systems, an increased awareness for status may express itself in aggressiveness. "In the socially complex human environment, pro-social behavior secures status, and not aggression," surmises study co-author Michael Naef from Royal Holloway London. "The interplay between testosterone and the socially differentiated environment of humans, and not testosterone itself, probably causes fair or aggressive behavior."

      Moreover the study shows that the popular wisdom that the hormone causes aggression is apparently deeply entrenched: those test subjects who believed they had received the testosterone compound and not the placebo stood out with their conspicuously unfair offers. It is possible that these persons exploited the popular wisdom to legitimate their unfair actions. Economist Michael Naef states: "It appears that it is not testosterone itself that induces aggressiveness, but rather the myth surrounding the hormone. In a society where qualities and manners of behavior are increasingly traced to biological causes and thereby partly legitimated, this should make us sit up and take notice." The study clearly demonstrates the influence of both social as well as biological factors on human behavior.

  2. Re:Yet more feminist propaganda. by war4peace · · Score: 5, Informative

    Females also secrete testosterone.

    Oblig: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

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  3. Re:Men are obsolete by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The amount of hate-speech against men in society today is rather alarming. In the days before feminism, I'm not sure men ever suggested that women be exterminated as a gender. And yet today, the war on men grows increasingly loud and hate-filled by the day.

  4. Re:Coincidence by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I seriously don't understand how they can measure the level of testosterone from 50,000 years ago. Was it recorded with fine detail? Hell, did they know it existed?

    Anyway. The lower testosterone levels could be a coincidence that arose at the same time humans discovered the benefits of empathy, which is essential in group negotiations and community support.

    They didn't. Here is their logic train:

    - They measured facial characteristics, some of these characteristics have been associated with aggression (not testosterone levels).
    - There are studies that link aggression with testosterone.
    - Therefore, early humans had large degrees of aggression and therefore testosterone.
    - Modern human skulls have fewer / less of the linked facial features, therefore our testosterone levels are lower.

    - Therefore early human testosterone levels were higher and further, this was selected for in some way, shape for fashion.

    Total BS. Two speculative leaps and a nice large jump to a conclusion. It is trivial to create other equally valid hypotheses from this data.

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  5. Re:Makes sense by Riddler+Sensei · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Testosterone isn't some Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde concoction like you seem to think it is.

    As long as we're dealing with anecdotes I will throw mine into the ring. I've engaged in powerlifting as a hobby for the past two years, during which I have met some very impressive, and dedicated, individuals. These men are strong. Really strong. Functionally strong. They're not just pounding out hammer curls and shrugs to get a pump. They are training for strength, the kind of strength where elevated testosterone just comes with the territory. And they've all been pussycats. After benching just shy of 400lbs they aren't grunting and scowling, they're grinning ear-to-ear and are practically giggling. They're considerate with the equipment and readily share when the weight room is busy. They don't scoff at the 110lbs new guy, rather they're begging the new guy to take before-and-after shots because, "...if you keep this up you are going to be AWESOME in a year!"

    Testosterone does not cause assholish-ness, per se, so much as it exacerbates it. If you are a kind, decent, person then becoming strong (and thus achieving higher levels of testosterone) will not change that. But if you are dick...well now you are a dick who is strong and you likely no longer feel the need to restrain your jackass behavior because you feel as though you can physically overwhelm any challengers to your supreme phallus.