Does testosterone cause aggression in teen boys?

What does the research find?

The most recent big check is a 2020 meta-analysis by Geniole and colleagues in Hormones and Behavior. It pooled many studies and looked at three kinds of evidence: baseline testosterone levels, changes in testosterone in response to a challenge, and experiments where testosterone was given to people on purpose.

The results were small across the board. For baseline levels, the correlation with aggression was r = 0.054. That is so small that, by our arithmetic, differences in testosterone account for well under one percent of the differences in aggression. The link was a little larger for men (r = 0.071) and essentially zero for women (r = 0.002). For studies that changed testosterone on purpose, the effect was not statistically significant.

Earlier meta-analyses, including one by Book and colleagues in 2001, also reported weak links. These are pooled results from published research, not a reading of any one teen.

Why does the myth stick?

Puberty brings two real things at once: a rise in testosterone and a stretch of bigger feelings, more conflict with parents and louder friendships. When two things happen together, it is easy to say one causes the other.

The myth also hands everyone an easy line: “it’s just hormones.” That can sound kind, but it puts a teen’s behavior in the category of things nobody can do anything about. In truth, there’s a lot we can do.

What really sits behind teen anger?

Several things, and they stack. Teens’ body clocks shift later, and Carskadon and Tarokh’s 2014 review describes how those changes in sleep biology can affect adolescent behavior. Sleep debt shortens tempers. The prefrontal cortex is still being built, so brakes are less reliable under stress.

Friends matter more than ever, and in a 2011 experiment by Chein and colleagues, teens showed more risk-taking when peers were watching, along with more activity in reward circuitry. Context matters: a teen who is calm at home may be explosive after a humiliating day, or just after a loss on the field.

What helps?

Teo’s own job list is a good start: deep sleep, sports and strength games, daylight and real food. Protect sleep first. Then give big energy somewhere to go. Choose a conversation time when no one is upset, and talk side by side, in a car or on a walk, instead of face to face.

Name the feeling rather than the hormone. “You seem really frustrated” works better than “is it your hormones?” And if anger ever turns into hurting someone, that’s a safety question for a professional, not a hormone question.

What you’ll see at home

• Quick irritation at small things, especially late in the evening or after a bad night of sleep
• More conflict with parents and siblings during early puberty
• A teen who’s calm alone and explosive in front of friends, or the other way around
• Big energy that needs somewhere to go: slammed doors, pacing, restless legs

Try tonight

1. Agree on a phone-off time that allows a full night’s sleep.
2. Plan one sport or workout this week, ideally something your teen picks.
3. Skip “is it your hormones?” and try: “Rough day? I’m around if you want to talk, no rush.”

Questions parents ask

Keep reading

• Kids’ brain myths, checked against the scienceTen things parents hear all the time, and what the research actually says.
• Testosterone in teens: what it does in boys and girlsTestosterone helps drive puberty body changes in boys and girls. What it does, why it isn’t the same as aggression, and habits that support teens.
• How do you explain the amygdala to a child?Explain the amygdala to your child as Migo, a smoke detector that yells first and thinks later. Plus the hand model and what to say tonight.
• 13 year old brain: what’s normal at ages 12 to 14?Why early teens grow fast, fall asleep late, chase rewards and go quiet at home, plus how much sleep they need and what helps you stay close.
• Teenage brain development: what’s normal for a 15 or 16 year old?Why teens care so much about friends, take risks and stay up late, and what helps: deals instead of orders, real wins and sleep before screens.
• What to say after a meltdown: how to repair and reconnectWhat to say after a meltdown: comfort first, then simple words to reconnect, name what happened and repair, even if you were the one who yelled.

Sources

1. Book, Starzyk & Quinsey, 2001; Geniole et al., 2020. Meta-analyses of testosterone and aggression.
2. NICHD. Puberty; NHS. Early or delayed puberty.
3. Carskadon & Tarokh, 2014. Developmental changes in sleep biology and potential effects on adolescent behavior and caffeine use. Nutrition Reviews 72(Suppl 1).
4. Chein, Albert, O'Brien, Uckert & Steinberg, 2011. Peers increase adolescent risk taking by enhancing activity in the brain's reward circuitry. Developmental Science.