'testosterone poisoning is a pejorative neologism that refers not to actual poisoning, but to a negative perception of stereotypical aspects of male behavior. this speculative and controversial expression is based on a belief that men and boys with more masculine traits have more negative traits than they would otherwise. the term capitalizes on the perception that masculinity is controlled by the androgen testosterone. ==origins== an early printed reference to "testosterone poisoning" came in 1975 from actor alan alda. he said: "everyone knows that testosterone, the so-called male hormone, is found in both men and women. what is not so well known, is that men have an overdose... until recently it has been thought that the level of testosterone in men is normal simply because they have it. but if you consider how abnormal their behavior is, then you are led to the hypothesis that almost all men are suffering from testosterone poisoning."alan alda, "what every woman should know about men", ms., new york, october 1975 ten years later, that same sentence from alda's article was quoted in the 1985 book a feminist dictionary'a feminist dictionary, ed. kramarae and treichler, pandora press, 1985. carl sagan gave the phrase more publicity when he praised moondance magazine writer daniela gioseffi's american book award winner women on war: a book of searing analysis and cries from the heart on the madness of war. why is the half of humanity with a special sensitivity to the preciousness of life, the half untainted by testosterone poisoning, almost wholly unrepresented in defense establishments and peace negotiations worldwide?women on war, daniela gioseffi. some took offense at this phrase. a los angeles times op-ed piece referred to professor sagan's use directly: carl sagan even pompously informs us that the whole planet is imminently endangered by "testosterone poisoning.""in academe, misogyny meets its match: misandrosy", by father patrick m. arnold, sj, assistant professor of theology at the university of san diego, los angeles times, may 14, 1990. bruce tremper used the term in the avalanche review, stating that being "a man" is best proven by dying "a stupendously violent death."http://www.avalanche.org/~moonstone/tar/human%20being.htm ==psychological analysis==  testosterone poisoning is not an actual medical or psychological condition. a 1996 psychology today article refers to the phrase as "only a joke," but notes, in reference to several studies about testosterone and male employment, that testosterone levels were lower for successful new male employees at a southern u.s. oil firm.[http://www.ps
Biology_of_gender Masculinity Men_and_feminism Misandry Testosterone