Creative musical behavior and sex hormones: musical talent and spatial ability in the two sexes

Journal/Book: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1992; 17: 55-70.

Abstract: Creative musical behavior, musical intelligence, and spatial ability were investigated in relation to salivary testosterone (T). In a cross-sectional study with 117 adults and in an 8-yr longitudinal study with 120 adolescents, composers, instrumentalists, and nonmusicians of both sexes were compared by analyses of variance. Results indicate that an optimal T range may exist for the expression of creative musical behavior. This range may be at the bottom of normal male T range and at the top of normal female T range. In addition, musicians were found to attain significantly higher spatial test scores than nonmusicians, both, in an 8-yr-period of adolescent development and in adulthood.

Keyword(s): Adolescence ; Adult ; Analysis of Variance; Cross Sectional Studies; Laterality ; Longitudinal Studies; Saliva chemistry; Testosterone analysis Creativeness ; Music ; Space Perception physiology; Testosterone physiology Female; Human; Male; Support, Non U.S. Gov't Testosterone

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