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I'm thinking about this question on biology.se: do hormones make men think of sex?

From the interview linked in the answer, I get two takeaways: a man who lost most testosterone for 4 months mentioned more humility, while a lgbt person on testosterone therapy reported more intense sexual thoughts or urges.

With this in mind, I'm thinking of the Christian concept of " deadly sins" and their opposite virtues. From a purely historic perceptive, I take recurring accounts of these phenomena in writing to say that these traits have existed for the last couple thousand years or more in the western world.

Is modern science any closer to explaining the phenomena like wrath, sloth, gluttony or humility in terms of neurotransmitter, hormone, receptor mutations or other genetic mutations?

Here's the kind of answer I'm looking for:

( from serotonin receptors )

Deceased suicidal and otherwise depressed patients have had more 5-HT2A receptors than normal patients. These findings suggest that post-synaptic 5-HT2A overdensity is involved in the pathogenesis of depression.[4]

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  • $\begingroup$ Part of your answer could be explained here in regards to testosterone: cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/4318/… $\endgroup$
    – user3433
    Commented Aug 25, 2013 at 5:00
  • $\begingroup$ However, essentially the answer to your question is....very slowly. There are some studies that do focus in on those phenomenon but I don't think there's enough space in an answer box to answer your question fully....its a bit too broad. $\endgroup$
    – user3433
    Commented Aug 25, 2013 at 5:01
  • $\begingroup$ Found this related talk. It does not mention neurotransmitters however ted.com/talks/paul_piff_does_money_make_you_mean.html $\endgroup$
    – Alex Stone
    Commented Dec 28, 2013 at 1:01

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