SOCB22H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Radiation And Nuclear Safety Authority, Morphine, Robert Sapolsky
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Aggressive behavior does seem to rise with levels of testosterone but sapolsky says assumption that hormones drive aggression is misleading. Testosterone can amplify pre-existing tendencies to (cid:448)iole(cid:374)(cid:272)e a(cid:374)d do(cid:373)i(cid:374)a(cid:374)(cid:272)e (cid:271)eha(cid:448)io(cid:396) (cid:271)ut he (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t (cid:272)(cid:396)eate the p(cid:396)ope(cid:374)sit(cid:455) fo(cid:396) this (cid:271)eha(cid:448)io(cid:396). ". Sapolsky where is a good corrective to biological reductionism the tendency to describe all variations in human behavior to genes, hormones or physiology. Social interactions create biological outcomes as much as biology create social behavior. Violence cannot be written off as simply in the genes or the result of too much testosterone, we are social animals not just biological ones. Testosterone rules: we all believe in stereotypes about minorities these stereotypes are typically false every now and then they have a core of truth. Sapolsky knows this because he belongs to a minority group that lives up to its reputation. We all thi(cid:374)k (cid:449)e k(cid:374)o(cid:449) the a(cid:374)s(cid:449)e(cid:396) to so(cid:373)ethi(cid:374)g to do with those genes being expressed down in the testes.