The Aporetic Dialogues of Modena on Gender Differences: Is It All About Testosterone? Episode IV: Love

This is the fourth and last episode of a series of four discussions on the differences between males and females in apparently non-andrological fields. You will read the transcript of discussions that actually took place at the Endocrinology Unit in Modena, Italy, in the form of the aporetic dialogues of ancient Greece. In this episode, the role of testosterone in gender differences in approaches to love will be explored. The discussants were divided into two groups: Group 1, which supports the thesis of a predominant role of testosterone, and Group 2, which opposes it. The first group argued that endogenous testosterone could shape approaches to love, regardless of psychological predispositions or sociocultural context. The second group highlighted the multifactorial nature of love, pointing to other hormonal and non-hormonal influences, such as neurotransmitters, cortisol, and sociological and psychological factors. In the end, an expert professor of endocrinology, acting as a referee, sought to resolve the aporia: Are the two theories equivalent, or is one superior?