Carole Hooven

Date: 2021-06-10 | Duration: 3h 4m

Episode Overview

A testosterone researcher sits down with Joe for what becomes one of the most emotionally intense conversations in JRE history — Joe cries three times. The guest combines scientific rigor with profound personal vulnerability, and when they open up about their own relationship with testosterone, it creates the kind of unguarded moment that's rare in any medium. They cover the physiology of testosterone in detail: increases in hemoglobin and muscle mass from TRT, the role of testosterone in red deer behavior during the rut, and why the trend in testosterone research is changing in meaningful ways. They also touch on the psychological impact of testosterone on how people feel about themselves, the connection between testosterone and risk-taking, and a surprising anecdote involving a US Open champion. Joe says he's never cried more in a podcast.

About Carole Hooven

Carole Hooven is an accomplished evolutionary biologist at Harvard University, renowned for her groundbreaking research on the role of hormones in shaping human behavior and society. With a Ph.D. from Harvard, she has dedicated her career to exploring the intricate interplay between biology and social dynamics, making significant contributions to our understanding of testosterone. Her highly anticipated book, "T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us," releases on July 13 and promises to unravel the complexities of this powerful hormone. Hooven’s engaging insights into the biological underpinnings of gender differences and her ability to communicate science to a broad audience make her a compelling figure in contemporary discussions about biology and culture.

Key Moments

– Testosterone's physiological effects — hemoglobin, muscle mass, TRT
– Red deer behavior during the rut — testosterone's role in aggression
– The psychological impact of testosterone on identity and confidence
– The trend in testosterone research changing
– Personal vulnerability and the emotional power of honest science
– US Open champion connection
0:00:00 – What made you want to write about testosterone?
0:31:31 – The trend is changing — I believe that's the case
1:04:01 – Increased hemoglobin and muscle mass — the documented TRT effects
1:28:14 – Red deer and testosterone — the antlers and the rut
1:55:01 – Nightmares about going back to high school — and a US Open champion
3:01:05 – You're vulnerable and I'm vulnerable with you — Joe has cried three times

Transcript Excerpt

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night, all day. Hello. Hi. Welcome. Thanks for doing this. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Starting point is 00:00:18 My pleasure. I'm excited to talk about this. What made you want to write about testosterone? What was the motivation behind this? So I'll give you the short story first. And then later I can give you the longer story. Can you give me the longer story? The longer story involves chimpanzees. Starting point is 00:00:33 So that's kind of fun. One of my favorite subjects. But the short story is that I teach at Harvard about hormones. I teach a course behavioral. Well, it's on behavioral endocrinology. It's called Hormones and Behavior. And I've taught that for a long time now. And I got my PhD at Harvard studying testosterone and behavior, studying sex differences and the way we think and process information. And I just love the topic. I love how much understanding testosterone helps me understand the world, understand men. I'm not a man. I don't really understand men or how they work, but understanding this hormone really has helped me a lot. and specifically testosterone, I get so much feedback from students about how it changes Starting point is 00:01:25 their lives, changes how they understand themselves personally, how they understand their relationships, how they understand the world. And it's empowering for them. And it's been empowering for me. And so I've just always had this natural intellectual enthusiasm for this topic. But I'd say in the last five years, I felt like the science was coming under attack. And there's been kind of a program to dismantle the science of testosterone and how it shapes behavior, particularly the evolutionary basis of behavior has kind of come under attack. The idea that sex differences are grounded in biology, and I know that testosterone is a really important part of that. And there's a movement to kind of discredit...

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Frequently asked about this episode

Who was the guest on Joe Rogan Experience #1665?

Carole Hooven was the guest on JRE #1665. This page includes the episode overview, topics discussed, and related resources.

What topics were discussed on JRE #1665?

On Joe Rogan Experience #1665 with Carole Hooven, topics include Testosterone's physiological effects — hemoglobin, muscle, Red deer behavior during the rut — testosterone's role in, The psychological impact of testosterone on identity and, and The trend in testosterone research changing.

Where can I read the transcript for JRE #1665?

The full searchable transcript for Joe Rogan Experience #1665 with Carole Hooven is available on this page, along with key topics and timestamps.