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How Hormones Shape Sexual Orientation & Behavior | Dr. Marc Breedlove

2026-03-30 Science & Technology
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Andrew Huberman
Andrew Huberman
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Description

Dr. Marc Breedlove, PhD, is a professor of neuroscience at Michigan State University and an expert on how hormones shape brain development and sexual orientation. We discuss how prenatal testosterone impacts whether someone is romantically attracted to men or women later in life, and what correlates of sexual orientation — such as finger-length ratios — tell us about the role of hormones in brain and psychological development. We also discuss why the number of older brothers a male has biases sexual orientation. Throughout, we explain how nature and nurture interact to shape male-female differences, behavior, and romantic partner choice. Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/iJe27oR Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman David: https://davidprotein.com/huberman Rorra: https://rorra.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Huberman Lab Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab X: https://x.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter Dr. Marc Breedlove Website: https://marcbreedlove.com Curriculum vitae: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mj4jJNGNUTtmiGkY9gMxRftfr4MovUD959Qi1Y-3z8Y/edit?tab=t.0 Books: https://marcbreedlove.com/books Publications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=breedlove+sm&sort=date TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HX-A89XI3I Whom You Love lectures: https://www.youtube.com/user/WhomYouLove2012 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.Breedlove/playlists LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbreedlove Timestamps 00:00:00 Marc Breedlove 00:03:24 Hormones & Sexual Orientation 00:07:37 Prenatal Testosterone, Finger Ratio, Men & Women Differences 00:14:08 Sponsors: David & Rorra 00:16:46 Finger Ratios, Prenatal Testosterone, Gay & Straight Men/Women 00:23:57 Mice & Sex Differences, Androgens 00:26:54 Brain Differences & Sexual Orientation 00:33:52 Group vs Individual Differences, Height Analogy; Bisexuality 00:36:57 Brain Development, Hormones & Behavior; Brain Plasticity 00:42:52 Sponsor: AG1 00:44:16 Sexual Behavior, Libido 00:51:37 Gay Rams, Brain Differences 00:58:00 Aversion Pathway, Men vs Women, Same-Sex Partner 01:06:58 Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), Intersex Phenotypes 01:13:55 Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) 01:18:14 Sponsor: Function 01:19:25 Gay Men & Older Brothers, Maternal Immunization Hypothesis 01:32:55 CAH Carriers, Advantage, Stress Tolerance 01:35:41 Birds & Sexual Differentiation, Gynandromorphs 01:41:32 Anabolic Steroids, Hypersexuality; Adult Brain Plasticity 01:45:31 Age & Testosterone Decline; Sexual Orientation & Activities 01:53:14 Marc’s Academic Journey, Ozarks, Luck 02:02:35 Exploration; Kids & Sex Differences 02:08:47 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #Science #Hormones Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Top Comments (10)

@instinct94 2026-03-30

What came first - the profession, or the surname?

174 15 replies
@PulseAI_Lab 2026-03-30

Another masterclass in biology! Congratulations, Andrew, on consistently providing high-quality, zero-cost scientific information to the public. The discussion on how hormones shape our development was fascinating and handled with such professional rigor. Thank you for always following the data and expanding our understanding of the human body!

24 1 replies
@hubermanlab 2026-03-30

Thank you for watching this episode with Dr. Marc Breedlove. Please click the subscribe tab and then the "bell" icon to subscribe to our channel here on YouTube and get notified when new content is posted. And thank you for your interest in science! -- Andrew

22 7 replies
@ShakiraG9339 2026-03-30

Me driving and looking at my fingers

21
@supermailman6492 2026-03-30

took a class with Dr. Breedlove at MSU. great teacher, by far the best at the department. wrote the textbook, donates all the proceeds to the charity the class votes for every semester. always entertaining in lectures and didnt just read off the slides like everyone else. excellent at answering even obscure questions.

16
@Blockchain_Basics 2026-03-31

6:00 not for everyone. For myself and quite a few other gay men I know, we had crushes on girls before puberty and it wasn’t until puberty hit that it switched.

14
@Stargazersoul 2026-03-30

Great talk. What a sweet person Dr.Breedlove. He exudes passion for science. His story about daughter made me laugh, cause that was me, 4-5 years old wearing mom’s heels😂😂 And my mom wears size 11..😂

9
@cmnEng 2026-03-31

I'm always impressed by how many eminent people in some area have names or surnames related to that field.

5 1 replies
@cristinapatino8726 2026-03-31

You have a nice voice, Huberman. First time I heard your voice while I was driving I had to set my car in park as I was falling asleep.😂❤😅.

4
@roberthostetler2982 2026-03-30

lol was not expecting the Heated Rivalry reference. 🤭

3

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