High testosterone highly disadvantageous

By Carl Hubbard     4/9/09 7:00pm

Last year, I discovered that my testosterone levels are nearly three times that of a normal man. For those who know me, this fact probably comes as no surprise. But to me, it was like discovering my race or gender for the first time at the age of 23.The explanatory power of testosterone levels, I soon discovered, is at least equal to that of any other sociological category. Testosterone levels can predict what type of job you are likely to work, how often you've been injured in your life, your criminal history, your sexual promiscuity and even how often you smile. And these are just some of the dozens of traits that correlate with the presence of this hormone in one's body; the list could be extended to fill this entire article.

I understood myself better with every new study I read. I realized why I had always struggled with authority, why I was prone to fights in school and why I was drawn to strength athletics. The explanations are only partial, of course, and don't account for variables like personality, but pretty soon testosterone became as much a part of my identity as my upbringing or value system.

Against this background of research, I thought about my time at Rice. How did I ever get accepted at Rice and then graduate in four years? The odds were against me. Education levels are negatively correlated with testosterone: The more testosterone flowing through your veins, the less likely you are to finish high school or graduate from college.

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This is especially so for private, elite colleges like Rice. This trend leads to what psychologist James Dabbs calls the "Irony of Testosterone," which states that while high testosterone was evolutionarily advantageous for millions of years, today's society is arranged in such a way that, other things being equal, having high testosterone is a disadvantage. Statistically, it's the low-testosterone male who gets into the good schools and scores the white collar jobs. The high testosterone males tend to work blue collar jobs and occupy a lower level in society.

The only solution to this problem, as I see it, is affirmative action for those with high testosterone. Rice admits other groups, like racial minorities and women, because, statistically, they have the deck stacked against them. But high testosterone males are at least as disadvantaged as women or Hispanics. And while admitting athletes somewhat addresses the problem - college athletes have higher testosterone than average - it does so only in an accidental way, without a primary concern for addressing social injustice.

The logistics would be no trouble at all. Saliva sample results could be listed alongside SAT scores and other data. Those who have a high level would be given special consideration in the same way as someone with a wooden foot, black skin or an abusive father.

The side effects would be not altogether unwelcome. For example, how often have we heard Rice women complain of male timidity in the dating scene? Raising the average testosterone level on campus could rectify this imbalance within one admissions cycle. Also, more students would tend to study abroad, as testosterone correlates with wanderlust, something that the Rice faculty encourages everyone to do.

Yes, more students would have to take COMM 103 - testosterone correlates negatively with verbal ability - but Professor Mary Tobin is a strong lady, fully capable of handling even the proudest peacocks. She handled me, after all. And yes, more students would defy the law and stir up trouble, but as I see it, defiance of the law forms an integral part of education in the broadest sense. Just look at Thoreau and Gandhi, and I'm sure you'll agree.

We, the high-testosterone males of the world, kicked ass in the Stone Age. We played to win during the European conquests. The Industrial Revolution was entirely ours. All we're asking for is the chance to do the same here and now, with the auspices that only a Rice degree can offer.

Carl Hubbard is a Jones College alumnus.

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