Male Testosterone and the Subtle Changes it Causes in Married Men

When we hear the word Testosterone, we immediately think of the male sex hormone that is responsible for male sex drive, deep voice, facial hair and general masculinity.

We seldom think about the more subtle effects of the male sex hormone, like its role in baldness, impulsiveness and being an all-around jerk. While testosterone levels play a role in all of the mentioned factors, perhaps the most interesting aspect that the hormone plays in men is what a study that was published in the Journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology found.

The research looked at the data of 1,113 men over a period of ten years and found that the testosterone levels of these men declined in all men as they aged. But here is the kicker: it declined more quickly for them when they get married and declined slowly after they are divorced. Married men, watch out, because as you receive congratulations on your baby, you may as well be receiving condolences on your declining testosterone. Perhaps we should back up a little bit and examine what it is the hormone is supposed to do for us before we look at how it could decline with the arrival of a baby in the house.

The Hormone

Testosterone is an anabolic-androgenic steroid which is the primary male sex hormone in humans and other vertebrates.

Testosterone is a steroidal hormone from the androstane class which contains a keto and hydroxyl groups at the three and seventeen positions respectively. Its action is activated when it binds to and activates the androgen receptor. It is responsible for the growth and development of male reproductive tissues such as prostate and testes in male humans. Apart from this role, the hormone is also partly responsible for the development of male secondary characteristics such as the building of muscle mass, body hair and heavy bone formation in male humans. As if these were not enough, the appropriate level of testosterone is necessary to maintain health and well-being such that a deficiency may cause muscle and bone frailty.

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If knowing that testosterone is responsible for all those manly things and that the lack of it could cause health problems does not scare you, then you are beyond help and I have no choice but to continue.

Marriage, Divorce and Male Testosterone

In a 1998 study on Vietnam veterans by Allan Mazur and Joel Michalek, they found that married men had the lowest testosterone levels. Divorced men of the same age as married ones, had higher testosterone levels which are similar to the level of testosterone found in single men of the same age. The study was to determine the role of testosterone on the propensity of men to commit a crime, and they suggested that this lower levels of testosterone were part of the reason that married men were less prone to crime. To be sure that it isn't something else about marriage that was responsible for the behaviour of these married men, another study at Harvard in 2003 found that business school students with long-term girlfriends or boyfriends had lower testosterone levels. So, it wasn't the marriage: it must be the women then. Are they sucking the testosterone out of their men?

Then in 2011, a larger-scale study found that even though men with higher testosterone levels were more likely to bear children, their testosterone levels nose-dived as soon as they start having children and continues to decline as they continue to spent time with the child watching the cartoon and changing diapers. :)

I have watched many new parents struggle with the sudden shortage of good night's sleep. What most parents would probably never imagine is that the cry of a baby also triggers a dip in the testosterone levels of some men. Does it mean that a man, different from the child's father would experience the same dip if he lived under the same roof? This is not clear. But the dip in testosterone turned out to be a good thing since the less testosterone a man has, the more empathetic and sensitive he is. This new information opens a previously unavailable window into how men can be helped to become better and more nurturing parents, the researchers suggested.

This was discovered in a study at Michigan University by Brenda Volling and Patty Kuo. They found that the testosterone levels of men declined when they saw their children in distress and this, in turn, made them more nurturing and sensitive in their interactions with their babies.

Low testosterone levels are associated with patience, empathy and ability to get along better with people. When I discovered this information, I couldn't help but think, "No wonder!" You see, I have a brother that was always very organised, and was a stickler for timekeeping with the associated temper when someone dared mess with his time. I visited him last week, and he was a different person. He waited for me at the bus terminal for almost one hour, and he was not even angry when I finally arrived, neither did he leave me to my own devices. My reaction was like, "Who are you and what did you do with my brother?" Then when we got home, I saw his little boys climbing his curtains with nothing but bare hands and the floor was littered with toys and other stuff. He did not so much as bat an eyelid. What do you think? I think those diapers have calmed him down :)

In one very interesting research, the testosterone levels of members of two Tanzanian cultures were measured. One culture had males that were involved in active parenting while the fathers in the other culture were not and were mostly absentee fathers. It was found that the involved fathers had significantly lower testosterone levels. The decline in testosterone levels was not significant to affect masculinity. They were only low enough to increase the father's sensitivity towards the needs of his baby rather than being jacked up to chase women and scientists say that this is good news. So, for guys who are worried if they are still going to be able to bear children or whether they are going to lose their deep voice, they should totally relax because the dip does not affect anyone that badly.

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Finally, I would like to ask, have you heard about the link between testosterone and baldness? How does too much testosterone result in balding? Are bald people more virile that people with full hair? In other words, should I celebrate my baldness? :)

Thank you for reading.

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References

1. JSTOR | Marriage, Divorce and Male Testosterone
2. BBC | Are Bald Men More Virile
3. Science Daily | Testosterone Makes Men Less Likely to Question their Impulses
4. Washington Post | Low Testosterone Makes You a Better Dad
5. Wikipedia | Testosterone