reeves84
May 23rd, 2002, 10:52:32 AM
From the New Scientist;
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992310
Married men who spend time with their wives and kids have lower testosterone levels than bachelors. The discovery suggests that having less of the hormone could play a part in encouraging men to devote their energies to the family rather than looking for another partner.
They measured testosterone in the saliva of 58 men who were either single, married or married with children. In all the men hormone levels fell over the course of the day as part of a natural daily cycle that peaks in the morning.
But the decrease was greater in the married men than in bachelors. "And fathers seem to show an even more dramatic difference from unmarried men," says Gray.
The researchers suggest that lower testosterone makes dads less likely to stray, and encourages them to be true to their wives and spend time with their families. In turn, being around the family may lower testosterone, creating a continuous feedback loop. Gray speculates that social relationships have an effect on testosterone.
Experiences such as winning or losing at sport affect testosterone levels, says anthropologist Benjamin Campbell of Boston University. So parenting could have an effect too.
Gray now hopes to separate out the effects of marriage from parenting by studying testosterone in men who have separated from their wives, but have joint custody of their children.
"Not tonight Josephine, my testosterone levels have dropped due to the Kids".......
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992310
Married men who spend time with their wives and kids have lower testosterone levels than bachelors. The discovery suggests that having less of the hormone could play a part in encouraging men to devote their energies to the family rather than looking for another partner.
They measured testosterone in the saliva of 58 men who were either single, married or married with children. In all the men hormone levels fell over the course of the day as part of a natural daily cycle that peaks in the morning.
But the decrease was greater in the married men than in bachelors. "And fathers seem to show an even more dramatic difference from unmarried men," says Gray.
The researchers suggest that lower testosterone makes dads less likely to stray, and encourages them to be true to their wives and spend time with their families. In turn, being around the family may lower testosterone, creating a continuous feedback loop. Gray speculates that social relationships have an effect on testosterone.
Experiences such as winning or losing at sport affect testosterone levels, says anthropologist Benjamin Campbell of Boston University. So parenting could have an effect too.
Gray now hopes to separate out the effects of marriage from parenting by studying testosterone in men who have separated from their wives, but have joint custody of their children.
"Not tonight Josephine, my testosterone levels have dropped due to the Kids".......