This collection of quotations from Dr. Carol Hooven’s book The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone That Dominates and Divides Us illustrates why we believe Dr. Hooven is trustworthy and her book is credible.
Really, I longed to understand men. Testosterone promised to be a key part of that explanation. (p. 9)
Believes in free and open inquiry, rejects censorship
It was during the Larry Summers scandal that I realized that I was on the wrong side of the divide. My embrace of evolution, testosterone, and sex differences seemed to make me morally suspect. I had taken for granted that to solve any problem (the underrepresentation of women in STEM, sexual assault, you name it), we must understand its roots, which can only happen in an atmosphere of free and open inquiry. That is, we need to be able to research, debate, and discuss all reasonable, thoughtful hypotheses, without shame or censure. That’s what I had come to understand science and academia were all about. (pp. 18-19)
It seemed that hypotheses like Summers’s shouldn’t be given airtime because such “dangerous ideas” might be discouraging to women and interfere with achieving gender equality. At this time, most of the pushback that I felt came from male professors, who told me how things worked, and that any underrepresentation of women in STEM was due solely to discrimination and sexist socialization. But my research suggested otherwise. (p. 19)
While science has moved forward, our ability to confront uncomfortable ideas suggested by science remains unchanged. (p. 20)
See also: CDC Alters Webpage On Teen Dating Violence to Hide Male Victimization
Acknowledges that bias affects everyone, including herself
Bias affects everyone’s thinking and work. The scientific explanation of sex differences can be subtly or not so subtly influenced by cultural norms to favor hypotheses that see sex differences as ordained by nature. (p. 22)
In general, if you find a hypothesis distasteful, a red flag should immediately go up: there is a clear and present danger that you will discount the evidence that supports the hypothesis. That might seem obvious, but it is something that it took me a long time to learn and put into practice. (p. 23)
Mother of a boy (and wife of a man)
One of my favorite things (OK, not always top of his list) is to talk with Griffin about the powerful and fascinating changes that are just starting to take place in his body and mind — the hormone-driven changes preprogrammed by eons of evolution. One thing I can do with my knowledge of testosterone is help him to understand that his feelings throughout this transition will probably be of a different character from those of his female counterparts, and it’s OK. Characteristically masculine feelings are not toxic; he is not toxic for having them. What matters are actions, and he has control over those… Becoming a man is a beautiful thing. But—like every man—my son should enjoy his T responsibly. (p. 260)
See also: When Schools Teach Boys They Are Oppressors
Sexual assault survivor, yet not a misandrist
…I was traumatized by sexual assault. It’s only through writing about men and testosterone that I have come to appreciate that my driving desire to learn about testosterone and how it works might have something to do with my own difficult experiences with men. But it hasn’t been all bad: while some men have wounded me, far more have supported, mentored, and encouraged me. (p. 255)
Discloses personal moral failings, admits mistakes
In junior high school, the alpha female of my friend group orchestrated the exclusion of one of my childhood friends from the group. I’m ashamed to say that I failed to confront our leader in an effort to stop it. (p. 160)
She maintains a webpage cataloguing mistakes that have been found in her book.
Truth seeker, views facts as empowering
Even if you hope that any disturbing conclusions about T’s effects are not true, the point I want to emphasize is that this has nothing to do with whether they are true. (p. 23)
In this book, you’ll learn how T influences our bodies, brains, and behavior in the service of reproduction. This isn’t bad news, it’s empowering information. Nothing we know about T or sex differences implies that we have to accept current levels of sexual assault, harassment, discrimination, or coercion. On the contrary, social progress depends on scientific progress. Understanding the forces that drive our priorities and behavior, and how genes, hormones, and environment interact, helps to equip us to combat the expression of the darker parts of our nature. There is no need to downplay the role of testosterone in our lives. Learning about how the world works and confronting the truth can sometimes be uncomfortable or disturbing. But I hope that it’s mostly satisfying, empowering, and even fun, as it has been for me. (p. 25)
Solving problems requires understanding their causes. If we consistently downplay one set of potential causes (say, biological) in favor of another (say, social), then we have failed to do our best to get to the truth. (p. 240)
Willing to withstand criticism, refute teachers of falsehoods
Feminist critics of the science of sex differences can be influenced by the fear that biology will be used to condemn women to domestic drudgery or otherwise reinforce the patriarchy. That concern may or may not be reasonable, but it is irrelevant to the truth of scientific hypotheses. And in the case of testosterone, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that these irrelevancies are motivating a lot of the critics. (p. 22)
Feminist scholars and scientists are not fans of the idea that T masculinizes the brain as well as the body. (p. 74)
Has a sense of humor, makes fun of herself
The restorative powers of organ extracts that [a 19th-century scientist] reported so convincingly were almost certainly due to the placebo effect (knowing that might also be true of my eye cream never stops me from using it!). (p. 39)
Stop the presses! Science shows that T increases bellicosity and horniness! (p. 149)
Demonstrates compassion, humility
However we resolve this dilemma about who can compete in women’s sports, some people will feel understandably aggrieved. It’s a sensitive issue that can cause stigmatization and discrimination, and I’m not sure how we should resolve it. (p. 128)
Lots of books these days are aimed at inspiring young girls to shoot for the stars, to be fierce, tough, smart, and strong, and describe the accomplishments of women who embody those characteristics. And encouraging girls to aim high is a good thing. At the same time, men are blamed for simply existing, for their inherent toxicity. It’s true that men are different—being scholarly, I should add “on average.” But let’s also not forget about the virtues that nature seems to have preferentially handed out to men. They might sometimes feel the need to confidently explain the obvious, but they also put their lives on the line for others and are massively overrepresented in the most dangerous occupations. The Ugandan men with whom I trekked through the jungle for eight months protected and educated me. Without them, this book would not exist. (p. 257-258)
See also: Why We Need to Reject the Term ‘Gender-Based Violence’
Not a simplistic thinker
Let’s get away from the idea that in order to validate stereotypically masculine behavior in women, we must show that T works the same way in both sexes. (p. 180)
As I have stressed throughout this book, behaviors that show sex differences are often heavily influenced by culture—and aggression is a clear example. (p. 182)
Let’s get rid of the tired idea that the sexes must be born with basically the same brains in order to have equal rights. (That usually seems to mean that women should be more like men, and perhaps sometimes motivates the search for more significant T action in women.) Men and women, and boys and girls, are different, and that is in important ways traceable to differential exposure to androgens, starting in the womb and continuing in later life. But of course individuals vary. (p. 259)
When she doesn’t know, she says so
You may be wondering if natural variation in T levels has anything to do with being transgender. And given what we know about testosterone, that’s a logical question. The answer is, we don’t know. (p. 237)
Evaluates evidence on its merits
I’m capable of evaluating the evidence on its merits, without letting my emotions get in the way. I’ve found this to be immensely empowering. (p. 256)