We all already know, the hormone that makes a man, THE MAN is testosterone.

But while the current circulating level is going to have an impact on behaviour – this may not be as significant as the levels during fetal development.   The amount of testosterone the fetus is exposed to during  development influences how the body is put together particularly the wiring in the brain.

The alpha male rules in the animal world

In animal societies there is a clear hierarchy of power.  The animal at the top, the head huncho so to speak is the alpha male.

He gets

• ALL the girls,
• fathers ALL the kids,
• eats the best food,
• sleeps in  the best spot

in short he is the KING !

“THE MAN” is the king of the castle

Humans  actually have a similar pyramid of maleness topped by “THE MAN”.

In human society it is not simply about being the biggest and meanest dude (it  is a huge help in the younger years).  The guys who get to the top of the hierarchy and stay there need extra quantities of guts and grit.  Guts and grit are synonomous with risk taking.

Guts and grit are created in the womb

Pre-natal testosterone hard wires risk taking into human males.

The human alpha male

• Gets the girl (because he risks asking her out on a date or risks acting like a fool to woo her)
• Scores the try  (because he risks barraging through the opposition and ignores the pain)
• Makes a million (because he risks buying a particular  stock on the trading floor or starts his own business)

Yup, the last one is the important one in today’s world.  THE MAN is usually rich.   Financial risk takers can end up down and out but more often than not,  they get it right and end up stinking rich.

So is he an alpha male ?

So how can you tell if there was a healthy dose of testosterone prior to birth.

 It’s not in his kiss, it’s in his hands.

Just take a peek at the shape of his hands.

You’re looking to see how the second and fourth finger shape up to one another.  High levels of testosterone slow the growth of index finger relative to the others.

So if the index finger (finger number 2) is significantly shorter than the ring finger (finger number 4) – you’ve struck testosterone gold.

Girls aren’t supposed to be exposed to testosterone in the womb

So no point in getting out the tape measure and sizing up her fingers – the correlation between risk taking and finger length only applies to males.

“Scientific” fortune telling

If  the hand you’re holding wins the testosterone prize then statistically speaking one of those risks you feel compelled to take will pay off, hopefully soon.

But, if  the hand that you’re holding is a dud.  You can still celebrate because the odds of you developing prostrate cancer just slipped real low.

So either way you win hands down.

Want to learn more about how body chemistry influences behaviour ?

Further reading

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