According to a new study, it doesn’t matter how women dress — even without showing skin and stereotypically, men, especially those with high testosterone, will continue their toxic male gaze. Research published in journal Psychoneuroendocrinology has revealed that fully dressed women are no more safe from some men than men who wear sexy clothes.

A study conducted by Canada’s Nipissing University states that most men think that women who dress provocatively or are scantily clad are less intelligent and sexier than women who dress modestly, and therefore, This makes them common targets of harassment.

The study authors said this may be due to men’s testosterone levels.

“Given these harmful consequences, it is important to understand the mechanisms that lead to the dehumanization of women. “We were interested in contributing to this effort by examining whether physiological factors, such as increased testosterone levels, play a role in the dehumanization of sexualized and non-sexualized women by men,” study author Francesca Luberti of Nipissing University said in a statement. Said. saipost,

Testosterone levels in men linked to social behavior

Even before, various studies have shown that testosterone levels in men are linked to their social behavior including increased sexual aggression and impulsivity – both of which come from dehumanization of one another.

Scientists say that dehumanizing someone means demeaning that person’s humanity or personhood and ignoring human qualities, such as the ability to feel sad, afraid, or behave morally.

How was the study conducted?

For the study, researchers recruited participants to take part in two experiments—including 20 men aged 18 to 38 with healthy testosterone levels—during which the volunteers were given supplemental doses of the hormone or a placebo.

Then, they watched a video in which a woman was wearing conservative or provocative clothing but behaving the same way. Ultimately, the men completed a series of actions to demonstrate their impulse towards the dehumanization of women.

The results showed that men who took extra testosterone were also more likely to dehumanize women who wore conservative clothes than men who did not take the hormone. Testosterone levels had no significant effect on men’s view of a woman in revealing clothing and were likely to dehumanize her regardless of hormones, confirming society’s previous notions of negative attitudes about female sexuality. Is.

“We were certainly surprised to find that testosterone did not further increase emotion-based dehumanization toward a sexualized woman, as we had predicted, but instead increased emotion-based dehumanization toward a non-sexualized woman,” Luberti said. Promoted.”

“Based on these results, the message is that sexualization leads to emotion-based dehumanization toward a targeted female, but elevated testosterone levels can trigger this type of dehumanization even in the absence of sexualization cues,” she said. Concluded.

How does testosterone work in men,

Testosterone is a sex hormone that plays an important role in the men’s body. Apart from controlling sex drive or libido, it also increases bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength. Some other functions of testosterone include:

• Development of secondary male sexual characteristics such as deep voice, facial hair, and muscle growth
• Stimulation and production of red blood cells
• body determination
• Boost energy and mood

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