An Archive Blog by Bob Sutton

New Evidence: Testosterone Poisoning Turns People into Assholes

The No Asshole Rule talks about testosterone poisoning as a kind of joke. Apparently, it is a real affliction that turns people into assholes. Here is the lead to the story:

While most people are upset or concerned when someone gives them an angry look, there are others — with high levels of testosterone — who actually enjoy angry expressions and seek ways to provoke them, new research suggests.

"It’s kind of striking that an angry facial expression is consciously valued as a very negative signal by almost everyone, yet at a non-conscious level can be like a tasty morsel that some people will vigorously work for," study co-author Oliver Schultheiss, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, said in a prepared statement.

Note that this finding appears to hold for both men and women.

Read the rest of the story: Some People Find Angry Expressions Rewarding.

The implication: Perhaps if you want to keep assholes out of your organization, you need to take a blood test (and measure their testosterone levels) and their ARSE Test score!