More testosterone won’t make a better soldier or a tougher man – aggression and strength drive T levels, not the other way around

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. service members thirty and older will have annual testosterone testing, but a psychologist writing for The Conversation argues the Pentagon has this wrong. Testosterone levels don't determine military readiness or toughness. Research on nearly ten thousand people found only a weak correlation between testosterone and aggression—and the arrow actually runs backward: behavior drives testosterone levels, not the other way around. A study of Army Rangers found that training-induced sleep deprivation significantly reduced testosterone, and chronic military stress can push soldiers' levels toward what's typical for men in their eighties. There's also a policy contradiction: the Pentagon banned gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender troops but is now promoting testosterone therapy for cisgender soldiers—the same medication, framed entirely differently based on the soldier's gender identity.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton