Trigger Warning: Blank Slate Theory is Bogus
Thomas: This is a zeitgeist segment I was so nervous about doing that I put it off. I teased it a week or two ago, then delayed it because I knew it would be dramatic. It blew up on X, and we could have had the scoop. But now Elon Musk has tweeted about it, and tens of millions are discussing the topic. So we’re getting to it now.
Let me explain zeitgeist. It has to do with changing culture. A meme is going viral right now: a scene from the movie Inception where Leonardo DiCaprio wakes up, realizing he’s in a whole new world. It’s very viral because many people feel the rate of change is so rapid they’re waking up to a transformed reality.
Many factors affect the zeitgeist. We often discuss it in terms of the secular cycle, a generational pattern observed by the ancient Romans and even earlier by the Etruscans in their concept of a saeculum. People have noted this cycle for 3,000 years. Some say even Solomon observed it with his remark that there is nothing new under the sun. It involves generational turnings. That’s not our focus today, because other forces also shape the zeitgeist.
Technology has a huge impact: the emergence of the iPhone and the Kindle reshaped culture. But biology matters too. Before we dive into the story, a disclaimer: this draws on science, with studies on both sides. We’ll aim to be fair and balanced.
Jonathan: We’re going to make people mad.
Thomas: More than normal. We say that every zeitgeist segment, but this one is spicy.
There is a religious view among many that humans are blank slates, that all creatures are products solely of their environment, with sociological factors determining who you are. This is known as blank slate theory. There’s no scientific proof for it. It’s a tenet of faith, because evidence shows biology matters.
A core belief in blank slate theory is that there’s no such thing as a bad dog, only a bad owner. They say breeding doesn’t matter; only environment does.
If you believe we are purely products of our environment and biology has no role, then this segment will be triggering.
I personally think blank slate theory is nonsense. Bad company can corrupt good morals, but biology matters. Dogs bred for centuries to fight bulls to the death in bull-baiting, which was a sport outlawed about 150 years ago, still exist in their descendants. In bull-baiting, a dog and a bull fought in a ring until one died. For the dog to win, it had to latch onto the bull’s neck and hold on until it tore out the throat, causing the bull to bleed out. The bull could gore the dog with its horns. It was so violent that society banned it, yet we still have dogs with “bull” in their names because they were bred to kill bulls.
By contrast, a dog bred to guard sheep has different biology. Anyone who has bred or raised animals knows genetics matter.
But biology isn’t just genetics. Chemicals and pharmaceuticals can affect it too. This is the start of a series of zeitgeist segments on pharmaceuticals.
Jonathan: Thomas’s approach is scientific. In the Marine Corps, my job was tracking and predicting behavior. So many small factors exist that people think they’re just part of the world and don’t notice how they push or pull in one direction or another. These must be accounted for.
I’m a hand-to-hand fighter too. When your opponent varies, you can’t assume one style fits all. What kind of Taekwondo guy is he? What’s his muscle density? How much will this hurt? Does he have long legs, creating weaknesses? If short, does he kick like a mule? Target points change based on height, aggression, training, triggers. In a fight, you move off instinct and triggers, not conscious openings.
This applies here, and we’ll explain why it matters for authors.
Thomas: People’s book preferences are an extension of how they’re feeling. Your mood in the moment determines what kind of book you’re in the mood for. You’re not always open to every genre. One major influence on feelings is hormones, which brings us to hormonal birth control.
That’s right. We’re talking about the pill.
Hormonal Birth Control May Quietly Change What Romance Readers Crave in Male Heroes
Thomas: Hit us with some science.
Jonathan: In around 2013, an experiment published in Psychoneuroendocrinology found that women who started hormonal birth control showed a measurable drop in preference for masculine male faces. Partners chosen by women on the pill had less masculine facial features than those chosen by women not using hormonal contraception.
Recently, a story on X from Evie Magazine highlighted the split among women: some prefer Henry Cavill, others Timothée Chalamet. I ran my own informal poll with women in my life, none on hormonal birth control. They responded with near-unanimous violence: Henry Cavill was obviously more attractive. I banned my wife from watching Man of Steel because Cavill is shirtless, bearded, and hairy-chested. I can’t compete with that. Yet many women genuinely prefer Chalamet, and hormonal birth control appears to play a role.
Thomas: Anecdotal evidence is growing. Women who dated and got engaged while on hormonal birth control sometimes stop taking the pill after marriage. When they stop, their preferences reset, and the man they loved while on the pill no longer inspires the same feelings once they’re off it. I haven’t seen rigorous studies on this. It’s hard to design a study asking, “Do you feel differently about your husband now?” but the stories are common.
Jonathan: Many factors change after marriage. You might marry the masculine bad boy: adventurous, dangerous, exciting. But he may not be a good dad if he’s out drinking instead of helping with the baby. Social and interpersonal dynamics shift, especially with children involved.
Thomas: A 2012 Scientific American article noted that women who met their partners while on the pill later reported lower sexual satisfaction in some cases. Yet they stayed together longer and felt more content with non-sexual support. The pattern suggests a trade-off: less attraction to high-testosterone traits, more emphasis on dependability.
Jonathan: The pill mimics a pregnancy-like hormonal state and flattens natural cycles. During pregnancy, women prioritize safety. My wife has been pregnant five times so I know they nest by rearranging furniture, preparing the nursery, sending me out at 10:30 p.m. for pickle ice cream. It’s about creating security to bring new life into a dangerous world. My job is to be dangerous toward threats, so when threats come, I’m the villain who handles them.
Thomas: Now to romance fiction. In the 1960s, hormonal birth control was illegal. Usage rose sharply, plateauing around 80 percent between 1982 and 1985. That period marks peak adoption. Recent data is sparse, but younger women increasingly reject hormonal birth control due to fertility concerns and other effects, with anti-pill sentiment growing on TikTok.
In 1986, Fabio appeared on his first romance cover. He dominated the late 1980s and early 1990s, gracing nearly every top book’s cover. Fabio has masculine traits but he also has long, beautiful hair and he’s always striking a nurturing pose and holding the woman. He encapsulates the shift. Today’s edition of Hearts Aflame features only the woman on the cover. Fabio is gone from ebooks and paperbacks, though he lingers on some hardbacks. Preferences among romance readers lean toward more effeminate male leads, especially if they’ve used hormonal birth control.
Knowing your Timothy matters. Not all women are or have been on the pill. Some have religious objections while others were prescribed it young for period management. Preferences vary.
The science isn’t settled. A 2019 analysis of over 6,400 women found no difference in masculine preferences between pill users and non-users. Debate continues on X, but the Evie Magazine piece and Cavill-Chalamet split support the idea that women on hormonal birth control lean toward Chalamet and those off it lean toward Cavill.
If you’re writing for women on the pill, craft a hero more like Chalamet. For those not on it, aim for Cavill.
Sources:
Does the contraceptive pill alter mate choice in humans?
Birth Control Pills Have Lasting Effects on Relationships
Birth control pills do not alter women’s preferences for masculine faces
The Birth Control Pill’s Ripple Effect: How It May Be Changing Male Preferences for Fictional Heroines
Jonathan: Men are affected too. Testosterone can decrease in response to women’s hormonal cycles. Research from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in 2007 noted age-independent declines in U.S. men. Later data showed sharper drops among younger men between 1999 and 2016, with some levels falling from near 600 nanograms per deciliter to below 450. Synthetic hormones from birth control are suspected culprits.
Normally cycling women release monthly cues through body odor and pheromones, boosting testosterone in nearby men. The pill flattens these cycles.
Thomas: Two factors reduce male testosterone: environmental estrogens from birth control enter the water supply. Water treatment kills bacteria but not these chemicals. Even on private wells, the second factor applies: women on the pill stop releasing fertility-signaling pheromones. In a society where up to 80 percent of women no longer cycle naturally, ambient testosterone drops.
This may explain why the Western died as a genre. Westerns celebrate rugged, high-testosterone men doing dangerous things. With lower societal testosterone and women preferring less masculine traits, the hairy-chested, sweat-drenched gunslinger loses resonance.
Jonathan: The 1960s also brought the sexual revolution, loosening social norms around sex. Hippies, long-haired guitar players, drugs, and open relationships all coincided with the rise of the pill. Westerns require strong men with firm values protecting homesteads or communities, even in anti-hero tales like The Magnificent Seven. Social shifts favored different archetypes.
Thomas: By the 1990s, urban settings dominated: Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry in the 1970s gave way to Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, a beautiful, Chalamet-like protagonists. Chuck Norris, a bearded fist of a man, appealed less. The shift moved from raw masculinity to beauty and softer traits.
Jonathan: Brad Pitt bridged both because he was beautiful yet masculine in roles like Achilles in Troy or Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Arnold Schwarzenegger appeals to men aspirationally as an muscle man, but women often react with visceral disgust. Late-1980s action films targeted male audiences.
Knowing your Timothy is crucial. Low-T men admire high-T men; high-T men admire even higher-T ones. Timothée Chalamet is highly intelligent, and some women value that over fist-fighting. But Henry Cavill is intelligent too and fights writers to stay true to source material, as in his Warhammer 40K project. He creates conflict, bucks the team, and stands firm, which are masculine traits that appeal to some but alienate others who prefer cooperation and harmony.
Thomas: Humor in relationships ties in. Well-done humor is risky; the best jokes skirt the edge of appropriateness. Safe dad jokes lack danger. True comedy demands risk-taking, arguably fueled by testosterone.
Jonathan: I often get in trouble for my sense of humor. Thomas regularly edits what I say because my jokes can push boundaries. He was especially concerned about my talk at the Novel Marketing Conference.
My intention is not to offend people. Occasionally I may push a joke too far, but most of the time I simply want people to laugh, relax, and consider ideas they had not thought about before.
Humor can also function as a resilience mechanism. Studies of military personnel, first responders, and emergency workers show that many develop a darker sense of humor. They joke about grim situations that most people prefer not to think about. To outsiders, that humor can seem disturbing.
However, when people work daily in difficult environments, humor becomes a way to process stress. It allows them to make light of dark circumstances. When I was deployed hunting ISIS, we operated in environments where real atrocities were occurring. Those groups deliberately targeted innocent people to create terror. Living and working in that reality changes how people cope with stress.
Dark humor, shared among teammates, builds camaraderie and resilience. It allows people to release pressure and maintain emotional balance in situations that would otherwise be overwhelming. Research suggests that individuals who can find humor during difficult periods are often better able to endure them.
Thomas: That type of humor also signals courage. Making a joke in the face of danger communicates confidence to others. Courage can spread through a group just as fear can.
This kind of gallows humor has long been part of military culture. C. S. Lewis even examined the topic when discussing whether soldiers can ethically celebrate victory in wartime. His perspective carries weight because he served in the trenches during World War I. His reflections on war come from experience.
That context matters. Someone who has faced real danger speaks differently about courage and humor than someone whose most stressful experience might have been criticism after a sermon.
Jonathan: I remember a moment when Congressman Dan Crenshaw addressed this idea on television. He said that people often claim they feel “attacked,” but real attack means bullets flying overhead. Experiencing actual danger changes how you understand words like “attack” or “trauma.”
People who have faced genuine threats often rely on humor to release stress. It becomes a pressure valve. By contrast, people who have not faced those experiences may find that humor uncomfortable or inappropriate.
Thomas: Bringing this back to writing fiction and the changing cultural climate, this is why having a real-life Timothy, a representative reader from your target audience, is so valuable.
Directly asking readers personal questions about their lifestyle or medical decisions would be inappropriate and unlikely to produce honest answers. However, you can ask lighter questions that reveal preferences and personality.
For example, you might ask readers which characters they prefer. Do they favor Legolas or Aragorn? Do they prefer Timothée Chalamet or Henry Cavill? The answers reveal something about the type of characters your audience finds appealing.
If someone chooses Legolas and Timothée Chalamet, that tells you something about their preferences. If they choose Aragorn and Henry Cavill, that signals something different. These are simple, engaging questions that provide insight into your readers without crossing personal boundaries.
Jonathan: Readers usually enjoy answering questions like that. They have strong opinions.
Thomas: Exactly. Questions like these serve multiple purposes. They increase engagement with your email list, they entertain your audience, and they help you understand what kinds of characters resonate with your readers.
Your goal is not to change your reader. Readers rarely want authors lecturing them about their personal decisions. Instead, your goal is to understand your audience so you can write stories they will love.
Jonathan: I do something similar in my own life. I regularly ask my wife simple preference questions. People change over time, so I continue learning what she enjoys.
Sometimes it is as simple as asking, “What kind of ice cream sounds good tonight?” Questions like that reveal preferences and moods. The same principle applies when learning about your audience.
For example, discussions about Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice can reveal surprisingly strong opinions. Many readers prefer Colin Firth’s portrayal. Others prefer different versions. Asking which interpretation someone prefers often leads to lively discussion.
Thomas: The same approach works with other cultural references. Asking readers which actor they prefer as James Bond is a good example. Most people have a strong opinion about their favorite Bond.
Jonathan: I prefer Pierce Brosnan. Some people prefer Daniel Craig, who many consider a more rugged interpretation. At one point Henry Cavill was even considered for the role. Conversations like this are fun, and they reveal something about personal taste.
Thomas: An onboarding email asking readers about their favorite James Bond could work for many genres. It is an easy way to learn about your audience’s preferences.
This conversation is also the beginning of a broader series of Zeitgeist segments. In future discussions we may explore topics such as GLP-1 medications and SSRIs as part of a wider look at how pharmaceuticals influence culture and behavior.
Jonathan: That will probably make people even more upset.
Thomas: Perhaps. But exploring cultural change often involves discussing uncomfortable ideas. Our goal is to keep the conversation thoughtful and engaging.
Sources:
Substantial Age-Independent Decline in Testosterone in US Men
Declining Testosterone in Young Men – NHANES Analysis
Women’s Body Odour During the Ovulatory Phase Modulates Testosterone and Cortisol Levels in Men
Men Report Stronger Attraction to Femininity When Testosterone Is High
Effects of Exogenous Testosterone on Men’s Preferences for Female Facial Femininity
Environmental Endocrine Disruptors and the Pill’s Role in Rivers
