Testosterone, Aging and Masculinity

This article is inspired from my recent reading of an article in the NYT issue dated January 3, 2026 written by Robert Sapolsky, titled Testosterone is Misunderstood.   

Testosterone, Aging, Masculinity — and the Long Arc of Social Change

Robert Sapolsky’s essay on testosterone is not just a correction of bad biology; it is also an invitation to rethink how we define masculinity across a lifetime and how society itself is changing.

For much of modern history, masculinity has been narrowly framed around dominance, physical strength, competitiveness, and emotional restraint. Testosterone conveniently became the scientific shorthand for these traits, reinforcing the idea that men were naturally wired for aggression and control. That story fit neatly into an industrial, hierarchical world that rewarded force and authority.

But as Sapolsky shows, the biology never supported that simple narrative.

Aging and the Quiet Redefinition of Masculinity

Aging offers a lived rebuttal to testosterone myths. As men grow older, testosterone levels naturally decline yet many report increased emotional depth, patience, perspective, and empathy. Rather than becoming less “masculine,” many become more fully human.

What changes with age is not just chemistry, but context. Older men are often less driven by status competition and more attuned to legacy, relationships, and meaning. Sapolsky’s insight helps explain this: testosterone amplifies what matters in a given social moment. When dominance no longer defines worth, the hormone loses its supposed grip on aggression.

In later life, masculinity often shifts from proving strength to offering steadiness from conquest to care, from ego to wisdom.

Masculinity Is Shaped, Not Fated

Sapolsky’s work challenges the fatalism that has long surrounded male behavior. If testosterone simply magnified aggression, then violence and domination would be unavoidable facts of male existence. But history and daily life tell a different story.

Masculinity is not dictated by hormones alone. It is cultivated by families, schools, workplaces, media, and cultural expectations. When boys are taught that respect matters more than fear, that strength includes restraint, and that courage includes compassion, testosterone does not undermine those lessons, it can reinforce them.

This is not an argument against biology. It is an argument against surrendering to it.

Social Change and a New Measure of Strength

We are living through a period of profound social change. Traditional hierarchies are being questioned. Emotional intelligence is increasingly valued. Cooperation often matters more than domination. In this environment, the old caricature of testosterone-fueled masculinity feels outdated, even dangerous.

Sapolsky’s essay reminds us that biology adapts to values, not the other way around. When societies reward fairness, inclusion, and responsibility, human behavior including male behavior, follows.

This is especially important for younger generations watching older men. Aging men who model reflection instead of rigidity, humility instead of bravado, and care instead of control become powerful agents of cultural change.

A Closing Thought

Aging teaches us that strength evolves. Masculinity, like character, is not something we peak into and then lose, it is something we grow into.

Sapolsky helps dismantle a myth that has limited men for generations. In doing so, he opens space for a broader, gentler, and ultimately stronger vision of masculinity, one that honors biology without being imprisoned by it, and one that aligns with the moral demands of a changing world.

That is not just good science. It is good news, especially as we grow older.

Meanwhile here's the AI Overview on the above topic

The phrase "Testosterone, Aging, Masculinity — and the Long Arc of Social Change" appears to describe a specific 

academic paper, dissertation, or book that explores the complex, bidirectional relationship between the biological aspects of testosterone and aging, and the cultural shifts in how masculinity is understood and enacted. 

The central idea is likely that:

• Testosterone levels decline with age naturally, a well-established biological phenomenon.
• Cultural definitions of masculinity are not static ("the long arc of social change"), and these shifting social norms interact with biological processes.
• Social factors influence biology: Research shows that social interactions, such as competition, social support, and even gendered behaviors, can affect testosterone levels.
• Biology influences social experience: The decline in testosterone may affect aspects like mood, cognition, and physical function, which in turn influences how men experience aging and construct their identity within the context of evolving social ideals of masculinity. 

For example, studies suggest:

• Older men with more sources of emotional social support have lower testosterone, consistent with theories that link lower T to nurturing and social connection rather than just competition.
• The relationship between testosterone and social cognition (e.g., theory of mind) is different in younger versus older men, possibly suggesting a neuroprotective effect in older age that was not previously understood.
• Men may use "cultural notions of masculinity" (coined as "maskulinity" in related research) to navigate their gender identity as their bodies age and change, demonstrating how individual identity is a blend of cultural ideals, personal performance, and biology. 

This interdisciplinary approach highlights that "masculinity" is a cultural achievement influenced by biological factors, rather than a fixed state determined solely by hormones. 

My Photos of the Day:

Photo Taken January 3, 2026 (THD )

http://marinduqueawaitsyou.blogspot.com/2016/12/carenna-kt-katague-thompson-performs.html

My Youngest Grand Daughter Carenna Katague Thompson

Her music video created 11 years ago, Sacramento, CA

https://www.facebook.com/reel/10152636956451270