893: Testosterone
Summary
This American Life reruns a 2002 episode exploring testosterone’s impact on personality, prompted by recent military testing orders. The show features a transgender man’s transition experience, a staff competition to test hormone levels, an account of living without testosterone, and a mother’s interview with her teenage son. These stories examine how biology influences behavior, desire, and identity.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Rerunning a 2002 episode on testosterone
Act 1: Griffin Hansberry's transition and testosterone effects
Act 2: Staff testosterone testing and personality predictions
Act 3: Living without testosterone and the loss of desire
Act 4: Owen's story and the nature of boyhood
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