The workplace is built on testosterone. I didn’t notice it until it went away.

Introduction
When my hormone levels started to shift, it wasn’t just my body that changed. Something much more fundamental happened: my behaviour, emotions, communication style, and even perception changed. Without consciously steering it, I drifted away from a world where competition, assertiveness, and rationality were dominant, and arrived in a different layer of myself. A layer that had been suppressed for years by something I had never truly questioned: testosterone.

What I discovered goes far beyond a personal story. It reveals something about how we’ve built leadership, decision-making, and professional norms around the influence of a hormone that only half the population produces in large amounts. A hormone that shapes behaviour, communication, and value systems, yet is rarely mentioned as a contributing factor in the workplace. We prefer to talk about competencies, effectiveness, charisma, seniority. But all of those words are diluted versions of an underlying norm. And that norm is often soaked in testosterone logic.

What I noticed as testosterone left my system
During my transition, which includes testosterone blockers and oestrogen therapy, I observed behavioural changes that went far beyond voice changes, fat redistribution or skin texture. My inner world began to rearrange itself. What used to feel natural – making quick decisions, engaging in conflict, asserting myself – suddenly started to feel like wearing the wrong coat. Not because I felt less powerful, but because the power had shifted.

My emotional range expanded. I cried over movies, music, conversations, beauty. Emotion was no longer something that needed to be managed, but a valuable form of connection. It became possible to be touched by something without needing a rational explanation.

I slowed down. Literally. My thinking became less fast-paced but richer. Where I used to draw quick conclusions and act decisively, there was now room for nuance, context, and asking questions without needing instant answers.

I could listen better. Not just to others, but to myself. My body started sending signals I hadn’t seemed to notice before. Fatigue, overstimulation, subtle tension, they became tangible.

My role in conversations shifted. Where I once had the tendency to steer the conversation or clearly state my opinion, I noticed I could now create safety by giving space. The impact of that surprised me.

These behavioural changes aren’t ‘typically feminine,’ as is often suggested. They’re typically human, but they surface more easily when a hormonal brake is removed. What I realised is that much of what we label as ‘professional behaviour’ is, in fact, behaviour that aligns with a body under the influence of testosterone.

To all the women who wonder why their way of working feels ‘different’
You may recognise this. That sometimes, at work, you feel too gentle, too elaborate, too emotional, too cautious, too modest, or too nuanced. That you weigh your words, soften your tone, don’t showcase your successes. Not because you can’t, but because it doesn’t feel right to elbow your way through.

And maybe you’ve asked yourself: is it me?

Let me tell you: no. It’s not you.

What you do is just as professional. Just as effective. Just as powerful. It’s simply not recognised as ‘the norm’ as often. Because the norm was shaped by a perspective in which softness wasn’t acknowledged as a strategy. And doubt was seen as a lack of leadership, rather than a sign of integrity.

When I was still acting under the influence of testosterone, I was more often seen as powerful, direct, persuasive. Now, under the influence of oestrogen, I’m told I’m ‘too sensitive,’ that I ‘formulate more cautiously,’ that I ‘leave more room.’ As if those are flaws.

But I’ve come to understand: those are exactly the qualities that connect people. That create safety. That bring nuance where others storm through.

So to every woman who wonders why her approach isn’t automatically validated: maybe you’re not too soft. Maybe the environment is too hard-wired.

What science says about testosterone and behaviour
Testosterone is a steroid hormone not only responsible for physical changes during puberty, but also a powerful influencer of social and cognitive processes. The scientific literature is rich with evidence on how this hormone shapes our behaviour.

Testosterone increases the drive for dominance. Not only in an aggressive sense, but also more subtly: in decision-making, taking over conversations, interrupting, and seeking status (Mazur & Booth, 1998).
It increases the tendency to take risks, which may be evolutionarily beneficial in some contexts, but in a boardroom with complex interests, can be disastrous (Apicella et al., 2008).
It reduces sensitivity to social cues, especially emotionally negative facial expressions like fear or sadness (van Honk et al., 2004).
In team dynamics, testosterone leads to quicker opinion formation, more interruptions, and a lower tolerance for ambiguity.

Behaviour under the influence of testosterone isn’t necessarily irrational, but it is more outcome-focused than process-focused, more centred on individual success than collective harmony, more about control than alignment. When you realise that leadership is still primarily shaped by cisgender men, it’s not surprising that this behavioural style has become the default.

The biology of testosterone: more than a male hormone
Testosterone is commonly referred to as the ‘male hormone.’ While it’s true that men produce it in far higher amounts than women, its actual role is much more complex and versatile.

Testosterone is an androgen hormone, produced in the testicles in men, in smaller amounts in the ovaries in women, and in the adrenal glands in both. It influences physical traits like muscle mass, body hair, fat distribution and voice depth, but it also directly affects the brain. And that’s where the behavioural link becomes clear.

How testosterone works in the body
Testosterone binds to androgen receptors in cells, influencing DNA and triggering the production of specific proteins. It impacts:

• Muscle growth and physical strength

• Bone density

• Hematocrit (oxygen transport via red blood cells)

• Libido and sexual behaviour

• Mood and cognitive processes

But it doesn’t stop there. In the brain, testosterone affects neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which shape motivation, reward-seeking behaviour, and mood.

The impact of testosterone on the brain
Testosterone influences multiple brain structures:

• The amygdala, responsible for emotional processing and threat detection, becomes more active under testosterone, which can increase alertness or aggression.

• The prefrontal cortex, which regulates rational decision-making and impulses, can be less active with higher testosterone levels, resulting in quicker and riskier behaviour.

• The striatum, involved in motivation and reward, becomes more active with higher testosterone. This helps explain testosterone’s link to status-driven behaviour and performance ambition.

Testosterone is not the “aggression hormone”
Although testosterone is often mentioned in the same breath as aggression, that image is overly simplistic. Testosterone doesn’t directly cause aggression, it amplifies status-oriented behaviour. In competitive contexts, that might look like aggression. In collaborative settings, it might appear as protectiveness or leadership. The social context determines how testosterone expresses itself.

Research (Mehta & Josephs, 2010) shows that testosterone especially enhances behaviour aimed at maintaining or gaining status and that this effect is strongest in individuals with a high social dominance value. In other words: testosterone magnifies what already lies beneath.

Women and testosterone
Women naturally produce testosterone too, just in smaller amounts. In women, it plays a role in libido, muscle development, and energy levels. But it also influences behaviour, especially in relation to other hormones like oestrogen and progesterone. Testosterone levels in women fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, as well as during pregnancy or menopause. So women too can experience hormone-driven behavioural changes, though these are rarely studied or acknowledged.

Hormones at work: the conversation we never have
While we do consider hormonal effects in sports or medicine, we rarely do so in the workplace. As if we operate purely rationally there, disconnected from our bodies. But that’s an illusion.

The influence of hormones like testosterone on behaviour, decision-making and interaction is real. Ignoring that means upholding narrow norms that aren’t ‘professional’, they simply reflect a specific biological profile.

It’s time we stop dismissing this layer and instead include it in conversations about leadership, diversity, and equality. Only when we understand where behaviour comes from can we truly choose who we want to be, how we want to live and lead.

The invisible hormonal bias in work culture
Most people associate hormones with mood swings or puberty. But what’s rarely discussed is how deeply hormones shape our image of humanity, including our ideas of success, leadership and professionalism.

The standard in many organisations is:

• Quick responses are seen as smart

• Doubt is seen as weakness

• Speaking loudly is mistaken for persuasiveness

• Emotion is disruptive, unless it’s anger or enthusiasm

• Decisiveness is respected when delivered with confidence

These traits are not universal standards of effectiveness. They reflect a hormonal preference that has historically dominated and that often neglects the human side in the race for efficiency, results and control.

What we lose by suppressing softness
When we dismiss softness, we lose more than we realise:

• The safety needed to share unfinished ideas

• The space for thoughtful decision-making over snap judgments

• The ability to detect signs of overload or unsafety in time

• The moral compass guiding decisions beyond profit and loss

We lose the wisdom in doubt. The strength in connection. And the kind of moral leadership needed in uncertain times.

Redefining leadership: from hormonal reflex to conscious practice
What I’ve learned is that many of the traits I once saw as self-evident – assertiveness, pushing through, avoiding hesitation – weren’t neutral. They were reinforced by a system of expectations that amplified my hormonal state.

Now, with a different hormonal profile, I see the value in embracing doubt, allowing slowness, offering presence, and asking instead of telling.

And I’ve noticed something remarkable: people respond with openness, trust, and space. Not always instantly, but over time, yes. My leadership has changed. Not because I’ve become ‘less,’ but because I now have access to other layers. And those layers are incredibly valuable, especially in a complex world.

The medical world isn’t neutral and it trickles down
Even in science, the male body has long been the default. Behavioural studies were historically conducted on male subjects. The effects of hormones on women’s behaviour were studied much later and often remain underexplored. For years, the brain was assumed to be objective, disconnected from the body. An assumption now widely debunked.

When the medical world treats female hormonal influence as a “complication,” it influences how we view behaviour at large. What if leadership has been defined for decades based on studies that left the female perspective out of frame?

Companies that don’t adapt will lose talent
More and more people – regardless of gender – feel the tension of outdated work cultures. They feel they need to adjust in order to be taken seriously. That their softness is read as weakness. But in truth, that softness is the key to inclusion, innovation, and well-being.

Research on psychological safety (Edmondson, 1999) shows that teams function better when people feel safe to admit mistakes, share doubts, and be themselves. But that safety can’t thrive in a testosterone-driven culture where competition and conviction rule. It grows through leadership that dares to slow down, to listen, and to leave space for complexity.

From individual discomfort to collective transformation
My experience is not unique. Many trans women describe the same behavioural shifts during transition. What’s remarkable is that they are the only ones who can compare both states from the inside. They’ve lived under high testosterone influence and then without. What they see and feel is not just personal, it’s structural. And it should be a wake-up call.

If we listen to these voices – and to everyone who doesn’t recognise themselves in the classic leadership profile – we can fundamentally change how we shape organisations. We can stop fixing people and start fixing systems.

A glimpse of how it could be different
Imagine a workday where there’s space to pause, without guilt. Where an employee says “I’m not quite sure yet” and the reply is “Thanks for sharing.” Where leaders ask questions before they make decisions. Where empathy is a core skill, not a footnote.

A workday where softness isn’t seen as a luxury but as a prerequisite for sustainable collaboration. Where leadership is visible in attentiveness, not dominance. Where people come home to themselves, instead of hardening to fit in.

It’s not a utopia. It’s possible. But we first need to acknowledge where we came from and who we’ve sidelined for far too long.

Final thoughts
Softness is not a luxury. It’s not a nice-to-have. It’s not the feminine opposite of masculinity. It is a human strength that has long been undervalued, because we started confusing leadership with hormonal assertiveness.

Maybe it’s time we stopped measuring leadership by volume, and started measuring it by wisdom. Not by speed, but by alignment. Not by testosterone, but by humanity.

Because who says a good leader can’t feel their tears?

Sources

• Apicella, C. L., Dreber, A., Campbell, B., Gray, P. B., Hoffman, M., & Little, A. C. (2008). Testosterone and financial risk preferences. Evolution and Human Behavior, 29(6), 384–390.
• Baron-Cohen, S. (2004). The Essential Difference: Male and Female Brains and the Truth About Autism. New York: Basic Books.
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• Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
• Hermans, E. J., Putman, P., Baas, J. M., Koppeschaar, H. P., & van Honk, J. (2006). A single administration of testosterone reduces fear-potentiated startle in humans. Biological Psychiatry, 59(9), 872–874.
• Mazur, A., & Booth, A. (1998). Testosterone and dominance in men. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 21(3), 353–397.
• Mehta, P. H., & Josephs, R. A. (2010). Testosterone and cortisol jointly regulate dominance: Evidence for a dual-hormone hypothesis. Hormones and Behavior, 58(5), 898–903.
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