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Testosterone: Difference between revisions
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==T and sexual behavior== | ==T and sexual behavior== | ||
Testosterone does seem to generally drive greater reproductive effort in males, and it is a highly replicable finding that men in committed relationships tend to have lower testosterone levels, possibly to promote greater pair-bonding in males.<ref>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0018506X19300030</ref> Part of this link between lower T and being in a committed relationship may not be casual. Instead, it may stem from the apparent fact that lower testosterone men may be more pro-social, more generous to their female partners and that men with higher testosterone seem to have larger levels of conflict in their relationships, particularly in egalitarian societies that seek to reduce status competition among males.<ref>https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70958-3</ref> Thus men in committed relationships may be partly selected for low-T. | Testosterone does seem to generally drive greater reproductive effort in males, and it is a highly replicable finding that men in committed relationships tend to have lower testosterone levels, possibly to promote greater pair-bonding in males.<ref>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0018506X19300030</ref> Part of this link between lower T and being in a committed relationship may not be casual. Instead, it may stem from the apparent fact that lower testosterone men may be more pro-social, more generous to their female partners and that men with higher testosterone seem to have larger levels of conflict in their relationships, particularly in egalitarian societies that seek to reduce status competition among males.<ref>https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70958-3</ref> Thus men in committed relationships may be partly selected for low-T. | ||
Higher testosterone | Higher testosterone is very weakly positively related to mating success (but not [[reproductive success]]) in men (at least in modern {{W|WEIRD|WEIRD}} samples), which may simply be explicable by the fact that testosterone levels are linked to libido (and thus likely greater mating effort). | ||
A link between testosterone (and physical masculinization) and non-committal sexual strategies indicates that T is generally linked to a [[life history|fast life history]] strategy based around maximizing mating effort and minimizing parental care, a strategy that many high-T men seem unable to operationalize effectively in light of these weak effects for sexual success and T. | A link between testosterone (and physical masculinization) and non-committal sexual strategies indicates that T is generally linked to a [[life history|fast life history]] strategy based around maximizing mating effort and minimizing parental care, a strategy that many high-T men seem unable to operationalize effectively in light of these weak effects for sexual success and T. | ||
==Dual hormone hypothesis== | ==Dual hormone hypothesis== | ||
Many people associate testosterone with male sex drive, however, increased testosterone shows no relation to increased male sexual desire (with the concurrent presence of high cortisol levels). However, it is important to note that androgens generally have the effect of inhibiting cortisol release. | Many people associate testosterone with male sex drive, however, increased testosterone shows no relation to increased male sexual desire (with the concurrent presence of high cortisol levels). However, it is important to note that androgens generally have the effect of inhibiting cortisol release. | ||