bobert1 Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 In Men, 'Trigger-Happy' May Be a Hormonal Impulse By BENEDICT CAREY Published: May 9, 2006 Handling a gun stirs a hormonal reaction in men that primes them for aggression, new research suggests. Psychologists at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., enrolled 30 male students in what they described as a taste study. The researchers took saliva samples from the students and measured testosterone levels. They then seated the young men, one at a time, at a table in a bare room; on the table were pieces of paper and either the board game Mouse Trap or a large handgun. Their instructions: take apart the game or the gun and write directions for assembly and disassembly. Fifteen minutes later, the psychologists measured saliva testosterone again and found that the levels had spiked in men who had handled the gun but had stayed steady in those working with the board game. The "taste sensitivity" phase of the experiment was in fact intended to measure aggressive impulses. After the writing assignment, the young men were asked to rate the taste of a drink, a cup of water with a drop of hot sauce in it. They were then told to prepare a drink for the next person in the experiment, adding as much hot sauce as they liked. "Those who had handled the gun put in about three times as much as the others — 13 grams on average, which is a lot," said Tim Kasser, one of the authors. He worked with Francis McAndrew, also of Knox, and Jennifer Klinesmith, a former student who had the idea for the study, due to appear in Psychological Science. Critics of research linking guns to aggressiveness have argued that people who handle guns in experiments tend to act out or think violent thoughts simply because they sense the expectations of the experimenters. The same could be true of this study: the students might have perceived the nature of the study, consciously or not, and acted differently. Yet the aggression was not entirely psychological: the higher the peaks in testosterone, the more hot sauce the students dumped into the drink. And once they learned the real aims of the study, several were disappointed that their cocktails would not be served to a fellow student. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I'd be tempted to ask the researchers how many of the young men that volunteered in the study have been trained on the handling of guns. It's my distinct impression that guns might have this effect on anybody who's not used to shoot them on a regular basis... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Well DUH! Test the levels after handling a baseball glove, a soccer ball, mountain climbing gear or a Harley Davidson... Or perhaps a pair of boxing gloves or football pads.... Maybe a stack of Hustler magazines... So the test is meant to prove the inherent "evilness" of firearms. The propensity to violence of those who dare even to touch the demon guns... Bah, I spit upon their test.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carinab Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Bah, I spit upon their test.... Um sir, your sample seems to show an inordinate amount of testosterone. Do you perchance own any firearms? Boxing Gloves? A Harley Davidson or a stack of Hustler magazines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Bah, I spit upon their test.... Um sir, your sample seems to show an inordinate amount of testosterone. Do you perchance own any firearms? Boxing Gloves? A Harley Davidson or a stack of Hustler magazines? Why yes, How did you guess? Are you one of those phycho's - er..I mean psychic's..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Carina, I am sure he does, and how he can type while handling all four of the above items is beyond me. Raw talent I tell ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iweiny Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 So what does it mean when my wife likes to shoot? Ah, just another sexist study by our Politically (In)Correct scientific community. Ira Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trisha Lowry Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 You go Ira! What about us ladies that own both a gun and a Harley? hmmmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carinab Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Trisha - my guess is that you have more testosterone than any of the researchers who conducted the study and that their metro-sexual selves would feel intimidated in your presence! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iweiny Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 (edited) Trisha - my guess is that you have more testosterone than any of the researchers who conducted the study and that their metro-sexual selves would feel intimidated in your presence! ROTFLMAO... (Roll on the floor laughing my ass off...) I think I work with one of those guys... Edited May 9, 2006 by iweiny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liota Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 (edited) Easier test for testosterone levels If a man has more hair care products than I do, I can almost guarantee my testosterone levels are higher. Just say no to metro-sexual males. L Edited May 9, 2006 by Liota Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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