Thursday, May 23, 2002
Study shows single men have higher level of sex hormones
A story released today by the BBC News reports that scientists have discovered that single men have higher levels of testosterone than men who are married with children.
Researchers at Harvard University said the differences may be linked to men's daily social interaction experiences.
They suggested that constant interaction with family members reduced the hormone in married men and encouraged them to be faithful.
In the case of single men, they suggested that high hormone levels caused by a lack of interaction with spouses or children encouraged them to seek out new partners.
Anthropologists Peter Gray and colleagues measured testosterone in the saliva of 58 men who were either single, married or married with children.
They found that hormone levels in all of the men fell over the course of the day in line with the natural cycle.
However, while the decrease was most obvious in married men than in bachelors it was even more pronounced in married men with children.
Dr. Gray stated: "Fathers seem to show an even more dramatic difference from unmarried men."
They added that low rates of testosterone may encourage men to stay at home and embrace their role as family men.
