The Association between Testosterone and Serotonin Levels and Aggression in Athletes

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between testosterone and serotonin levels and aggression in athletes and sedentary subjects. Materials and Methods: 60 athletes (30 basketball plus 30 volleyball players) and 20 sedentary persons between the ages of 18 to 25 participated in the study. Testosterone and serotonin levels in serum of the venous blood samples taken from the subjects were measured in routine biochemistry lab. Aggression Questionnaire developed by Buss and Perry was used to estimate aggression score in the current study. Results: No significant difference was found any relationship between testosterone and serotonin levels and aggression score of basketball players and the sedentary (p> 0,05) In volleyball players, we observed a negative association for aggression and testosterone, while there was a remarkable positive association between aggression score and serotonin level (p< 0,05). No significant difference was found in the levels of serotonin and testosterone in the basketball and volleyball players (p> 0,05), as significant difference was observed in aggression score of volleyball players compared to testosterone and serotonin levels (p<0,05). Conclusion: As a result of our findings, there are no significant differences between athletes and sedentary in the view of testosterone and serotonin levels, whereas volleyball players have higher aggression scores when compared to basketball players and sedentary.