Low Testosterone Could Be Fueling Your Anxiety, Study Finds
Understanding anxiety isn’t just about managing stress — it’s about uncovering how the brain and body respond to an increasingly complex world. Anxiety disorders affect hundreds of millions globally, yet it’s still unclear why some people develop them while others don’t. A recent breakthrough study sheds light on the biological mechanisms behind anxiety and points to one of the factors: hormones.
A New Discovery
Anxiety isn’t just a mental state — it’s a full-body experience influenced by a wide web of biological, psychological, environmental and other factors. And in recent years mood swings, sleep disturbances, and panic attacks are increasingly being examined through a hormonal lens.
We’ve long known that hormones influence mood, but how exactly does it works? Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev led by Prof. Shira Knafo, explored the deep relationship between testosterone and anxiety — not just through symptoms, but by examining what happens in the brain itself. Their findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, help explain why low testosterone might directly lead to increased anxiety and offer a glimpse into possible new treatments.
The discovery began with anxious rats. The researchers noticed that the most anxious rodents consistently had lower levels of a brain receptor called TACR3 in a part of the brain known as the hippocampus — a region critical for memory, learning, and emotional regulation.
This caught the researchers’ attention. Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) — a rare hormonal disorder leading to underdeveloped puberty and infertility caught the researchers’ attention. People with CHH often have low testosterones and and report symptoms like anxiety and depression — similar to what was seen in the rats. similar to what was seen in the rats. Earlier studies had linked CHH with mutation exactly with TACR3 gene and its partner TAC3.
What a Brain Study in Rats Reveals
This connection led researchers to take a closer look at how TACR3 influences emotional regulation. They discovered that rats with very low levels of TACR3 had brains that were “overly connected at rest” — but instead of helping, this rigidity blocked the brain’s ability to grow and adapt. In other words, the brain got stuck, unable to adjust or recover from stress.
But the most important finding? Testosterone helped reverse the problem.
When the rats received testosterone, TACR3 levels improved and the brain regained its ability to stabilize connections. That means testosterone isn’t just linked to mood — it directly supports the brain’s flexibility and resilience, helping it adapt, recover, and grow.
Why It Matters for Human Anxiety
This discovery goes far beyond rats in a lab. It suggests that one reason people with low testosterone often feel more anxious or emotionally stuck is because their brains are less able to adapt to stress.
For example, someone with testosterone deficiency might experience a stressful event and remain overwhelmed for longer — not because they’re weak, but because their brain literally can’t shift gears as easily. This could explain why testosterone treatment has helped some people not just physically, but emotionally, especially those with conditions like hypogonadism or CHH.
It also means that TACR3 might be a key target for future anxiety treatments — either through hormonal therapy or medications that mimic the effects of testosterone on brain flexibility.
Women Can Suffer from Low Testosterone Too
Testosterone is often thought of as a “male hormone,” though it exists in all bodies and is crucial for physical vitality, emotional resilience, and cognitive balance. No wonder it plays a vital role in women’s health too — especially when it comes to emotional well-being. While women naturally have lower levels of testosterone than men, they still rely on it for mood regulation, energy, muscle strength, and sexual health.
However, testosterone levels decline naturally with age, especially during and after menopause. A growing body of research now suggests that low testosterone in women may contribute to mood disorders. When testosterone drops too low, symptoms can include fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, reduced libido — and, importantly, anxiety and depression.
A New Path Forward for Treatment
Prof. Knafo’s research paints a much more detailed picture of the testosterone–anxiety connection. It’s not just about hormone levels affecting mood. It’s about how hormones interact with specific brain receptors that regulate emotional learning and stress recovery.
By pinpointing TACR3 as the bridge between hormones and anxiety-related brain function, this study opens the door to more personalized, brain-based treatments. That could include testosterone therapy — but also new drugs that support TACR3 function, offering hope for people who can’t or don’t want to use hormones.
