Testosterone makes us stronger, happier, and smarter. It also makes us meaner, more violent, and more selfish. A scientific look into the vast and unexpected influence testosterone has on our behaviour, our society, and our bodies.
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 behaviours 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 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 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 behaviour, and our best selves.
Industry Reviews
"
“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
"
