The Virility Paradox
The Vast Influence of Testosterone on Our Bodies, Minds, and the World We Live In
by Charles J. Ryan
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Pub Date Feb 27 2018 | Archive Date Mar 07 2018
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Description
The brain of every man—and every woman—is shaped by this tiny molecule from before birth: it propels our drive for exploration and risk, for competition and creation, and even our survival. The effects of testosterone permeate the traditions, philosophy, and literature of every known culture—without it, the world would be a drastically different place.
Testosterone also has a role in humanity's darker side, contributing to violence, hubris, poverty, crime, and selfishness. Recent revelations of the science of testosterone show that high levels will deplete compassion and generosity, and even reduce the affection we show our children.
In The Virility Paradox, internationally renowned oncologist and prostate cancer researcher Charles Ryan explores this complex chemical system responsible for a diverse spectrum of human behaviors and health in both men and women. Ryan taps his vast experience treating prostate cancer with testosterone-lowering therapy, observing that this often leads to profound changes in the patients' perspectives on their lives and relationships. Often, for the better.
Ryan uses the journeys of these patients and others to illustrate the vast and sometimes unexpected influence testosterone has on human lives. Through the stories of real men and women, he also explores the connections between testosterone and conditions like dementia, autism, and cancer, as well as the biological underpinnings of sexual assault and the effects it has on everything from crime to investing to everyday choices we make.
Integrating the molecular and the medical, sociology and storytelling, The Virility Paradox;offers a fascinating look at how one hormone has shaped history, and the connections between our biology, our behavior, and our best selves.
Advance Praise
“The Virility Paradox by Charles Ryan, MD, is a marvelous, timely and fun book about testosterone and behavior in men and women. This is a must read for parents, teachers, doctors, psychologists and everyone interested in gender.”
—Louann Brizendine MD, neuropsychiatrist, author of The Female Brain and The Male Brain
“Charles Ryan has written a unique, easy to read medical commentary on the paradoxes of testosterone. Anyone wanting to learn about the scientific basis of puberty, crime, behavior or prostate cancer will want to read this fascinating book written by one of our nation’s most outstanding academic physicians.”
—Stanley Prusiner, MD, director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at University of California, San Francisco, Nobel Laureate in Medicine, and author of Madness and Memory
“Fascinating! Ryan is a doctor and professor but also a natural scientist . . . The Virility Paradox is a book of remarkable scope, for this hormone plays a role in every human drama—in sickness and health and in aging; in sex and power; morality and politics; in how we think and how we behave. With unforgettable stories to complement his extensive scientific research, Ryan has us not only rethinking all our ideas about masculinity but what it is to be human.”
—Jena Pincott, author of Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies: The Surprising Science of Pregnancy and Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?: The Science of Love, Sex, and Attraction
“A terrific read. Dr. Ryan writes with grace, wit, and insight on a topic that touches on nearly every aspect of our society. Highly recommended.”
—Dr. Kelly Parsons, author of Doing Harm and Under the Knife and Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781944648565 |
| PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Featured Reviews
Francis T, Reviewer
In the politically correct world, there are some who think that men and women were created equal. They believe that whatever differences that we observe are 100% created by society/environment.
I'd love to throw Dr. Charles Ryan's new book, "The Virility Paradox" at people who argue that men and women are equal in almost every respect.
THINGS I LEARNED
Women's serum-testosterone levels are "5-10% of their age-matched male counterparts," according to Dr. Ryan.
Whereas men produce almost all their testosterone in their testicles, women make it in different parts of their bodies.
After 30, both sexes "experience a gradual decline in serum testosterone levels."
Higher fetal testosterone causes the brain to filter out what it considers "noise." Which is why men are often more oblivious than women.
Women who get testosterone injections, get a huge libido surge.
DHEA helps women lose fat and gain money.
Ann Mallen's testosterone experiment changed the way she looked at men (it's worth reading her Washington Post article about it).
Testosterone has little to do with love and may even be inversely proportional to it.
Testosterone makes you want sex but it doesn't help men get an erection. Viagra can make a man hard but it's purely mechanical. For the urge, he needs testosterone (and so do women).
It's worrisome that andropause (the gradual decline in testosterone in aging men) is seen as a problem or "medical condition."
Testosterone prescriptions have increased 10x between 2000 and 2011!
One point the book makes clear is that there seems to be a clear correlation between testosterone and PSA (which measure your risk of prostate cancer). When men supplement themselves with testosterone, they may be fueling their prostate cancer growth.
Testosterone makes us 27% less generous.
Giving testosterone to females makes them less empathetic.
"Marriages are happier if there is less combined testosterone in the couple."
Divorce rate increases when the wife makes more money than the man.
"Testosterone levels are 33% lower in fathers of newborns than non-fathers, while oxytocin levels are 25% higher."
CONCLUSION: If you want to understand testosterone, this book is a must-read.
DISCLOSURE: The publisher gave me an advanced copy to do a review.
