Testosterone

Last week, This American Life re-ran an episode with the theme of "Testosterone." At first, I considered not listening to it. It didn't sound all that interesting, but I think it is one of their better episodes. It originally aired in 2002, though this was the first time I got to listen to it. I highly recommend it. You can listen for free by following the link.

The second act features an interview with a man who started life as a gay woman, but started taking hormone injections seven years ago. His descriptions on how the testosterone effected the way he sees himself, others, and the world at large are fascinating. There are some awkward moments when the interviewer gets nervous with some of the responses. For example, he suggests that testosterone may have been the cause of his new interest and acumen for science. Uh oh. Let's not go there.

The other great bit comes in Act Three, where the staff and contributors of the show, male and female, test their levels to see how they compare to each other. Let's just say that in the aftermath, they don't suggest that you do this in your workplace. The man with the lowest level laments, half-jokingly, that if he can't be the "manly" guy in public radio, where can he be manly? The woman with the highest levels isn't thrilled either.

How much testosterone does this guy have?