We can safely file this study under “not helpful”:
Testosterone, that most male of hormones, takes a dive after a man becomes a parent. And the more he gets involved in caring for his children—changing diapers, jiggling the boy or girl on his knee, reading “Goodnight Moon” for the umpteenth time—the lower his testosterone drops. So says the first large study measuring testosterone in men when they were single and childless and several years after they had children. Experts say the research has implications for understanding the biology of fatherhood, hormone roles in men and even health issues like prostate cancer.
“The real take-home message,” said Peter Ellison, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard who was not involved in the study, is that “male parental care is important. It’s important enough that it’s actually shaped the physiology of men…. My hope would be that this kind of research has an impact on the American male. It would make them realize that we’re meant to be active fathers and participate in the care of our offspring.”
Those thumping sounds you heard this morning were millions insecure American men dropping infants and backing out of nurseries. Oh, and then there’s this: other studies have shown that women prefer less manly men as mates and co-parents—you know, men with lower testosterone levels—but when women are ovulating, when they’re horny, they prefer (and sometimes seek out) men with more masculine traits and higher testosterone levels. But there’s a silver lining, guys:
While testosterone isn’t necessarily a good thing in itself—research suggests that it can inhibit immune function, and eunuchs, who have low levels of testosterone, tend to live longer than normal males—its presence can be indicative of quality.
So, hey, it’s not all bad news!
Some are pointing to this study and saying that it’s proof that men are wired for monogamy. But it looks more like men are rewired for monogamy.
Hmm, I’m a stay at home dad who loves his kid very much. But I’m still going to fuck all of you…
The Eunuch reference again? Immune system inhibition? Both are largely myths, and who the hell wants to be a eunuch anyway (wait I forgot your line of work…don’t answer that). Transitory and age related decreases in testosterone levels are quite common. For example in an 18 month period mine went from 922ng/dl to 540ng/dl (considered high normal but low for me). This was a highly stressful time for me but I coped and in fact worked on my relationship (part of the cause) Testosterone along with a whole cascade of hormones are de facto required for male and FEMALE health. Don’t blame type A asshole male behavior on this hormone, that too is a myth. That is a function of emotional and mental maturity. If I had a child I would indeed help raise them. They after all are the priority. And it surprises me not the least that women can be attracted to less masculine men…I live in Portland. Being a timid emo dweeb does not mean you are a better husband or father, it means you’re emo. I have seen some slightly less masculine guys throw hissy fits as bad as any “macho” jerk. These are myths Dan….but keep up the good work, I think what you do is very valuable…just go easy on the biochemistry