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According to a recent study published in the journal Economics & Human Biology, men who have high testosterone levels are less likely to find themselves unemployed. Results to be assessed with caution…
Can a sex hormone determine a career path? Unlikely, a priori, and yet it is the opinion of the German researcher Peter Eibich who argues that testosterone would be associated with characters and behaviors appreciated on the labor market.
Less risk of becoming unemployed
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany have particularly wondered about the reasons for the positive effect of testosterone on employment.
To carry out their study, they looked at the career transitions of 2004 employed Britons and 111 other unemployed Her Majesty’s subjects, all between the ages of 25 and 60.
“We looked at the effects of testosterone because we are interested in the relationship between biomarkers and economic outcomes. Our findings on testosterone are particularly interesting because they show how biological processes beyond ill health and disability affect behavior in the labor market”said Peter Eibich.
The team of scientists would have found evidence suggesting that the effects of testosterone are due to differences in cognitive (memory, language, reasoning, learning, problem solving…) and non-cognitive skills.
Greater levels of digital capability
Concretely, men who have higher testosterone levels have greater levels of “numerical capacity” and are more likely to confront their problems – and to articulate it.
Results which must nevertheless be taken with caution, warns Peter Eibich.
“While these associations are suggestive evidence for a mechanism linking testosterone levels to labor market transitions, we cannot conclusively demonstrate that they drive the effects on unemployment”.
Several other parameters could indeed explain this phenomenon.
Testosterone: what is the normal level for a man?
Testosterone plays a key role in men’s health and well-being. In particular, it helps germ cells to make spermatozoa and also acts on desire, voice change, body hair and the development of muscles and bones.
In a young man (20-49 years old), the normal level of total testosterone is between 2.8 and 11 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). From the age of 50, the rate fluctuates between 1.8 to 7.6 ng/ml.
This decline is gradual (approximately 1% per year from the age of 30) and varies according to the individual.
It happens that the testosterone level drops suddenly following a metabolic disease, cardiovascular disorders or even taking certain medications (corticosteroids, opioids, antipsychotics, anticancer treatments, etc.).
This hormonal deficiency can lead to a decrease in libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, sleep disturbances, muscle loss, increased adipose tissue, anxiety or even irritability.