Hassler M
University of Tübingen, Department of Psychology, Germany.
Exp Clin Endocrinol. 1991;98(2):89-98. doi: 10.1055/s-0029-1211105.
Two recently published hypotheses on the biological basis of special talents are discussed in relation to experimental data obtained from musical composers, instrumentalists, painters, and non-musicians, and from adolescent boys and girls with different levels of musical capacities. Both hypotheses assign an important influence to prenatal testosterone effects on the developing brain. Geschwind and Galaburda (1985) predict that subjects with special talents may have anomalous hemispheric dominance for verbal material. This was confirmed experimentally in adolescents and in adults using a dichotic listening task to assess functional lateralization. Hassler and Nieschlag (1989) expect musicians of both sexes to be psychologically androgynous and to have current testosterone levels that differ from sex-typed males and females. Salivary testosterone was measured in adults and in adolescents. Creative musical behavior was associated with very low testosterone values in males, and with high testosterone levels in females. Sexual activity level and motivation did not differ between males with testosterone levels less than or equal to 200 pmol/l and those with greater than 220 pmol/l. We tentatively suggest from our data that, among a complex interaction of biological and social factors, an optimal testosterone range may exist for the expression of creative musical behavior. Exceeding the range in the course of adolescence may be detrimental for musical creativity in boys.
本文结合从音乐作曲家、乐器演奏家、画家和非音乐家以及不同音乐能力水平的青少年男孩和女孩身上获取的实验数据，讨论了最近发表的关于特殊才能生物学基础的两种假说。这两种假说都认为产前睾酮对发育中大脑的影响具有重要作用。Geschwind和Galaburda（1985）预测，具有特殊才能的个体在语言材料的半球优势方面可能存在异常。这一预测在青少年和成年人中通过双耳分听任务来评估功能偏侧化得到了实验证实。Hassler和Nieschlag（1989）预计，男女音乐家在心理上都具有双性化特征，且其当前睾酮水平与具有典型性别特征的男性和女性不同。研究测量了成年人和青少年唾液中的睾酮水平。创造性音乐行为在男性中与极低的睾酮值相关，而在女性中与高睾酮水平相关。睾酮水平小于或等于200 pmol/l的男性与大于220 pmol/l的男性在性活动水平和动机方面并无差异。基于我们的数据，我们初步认为，在生物和社会因素的复杂相互作用中，可能存在一个创造性音乐行为表达的最佳睾酮范围。在青春期超过这个范围可能对男孩的音乐创造力不利。
