Fathers have lower salivary testosterone levels than unmarried men and married non-fathers in Beijing, China

Gray, Peter B.; Yang, Chi‐Fu Jeffrey; Pope, Harrison G.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3311

Cited by 168 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In an experimental setting, men with greater T also reported feeling less sympathy or need to respond to infant cries compared with men with lower T (37). Although prior cross-sectional studies have led to speculation that fatherhood decreases T in human males (19,22,24), our longitudinal results demonstrate that fatherhood causes T to decline and remain low. These findings were not substantively changed when covariates (psychosocial stress and sleep quality) that might be expected to mediate the relationship between fatherhood/ marriage and T were included in models and are consistent with a previous longitudinal report that men who were married experienced decreased T (18).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Multiple studies have shown that partnered men have lower T compared with single men (16,17), and a large 10-y study of US servicemen found that T decreased in men who married during the study period (18). In comparisons of men varying in both relationship and parenting status, partnered fathers have been shown to have the lowest T overall, differing significantly from single nonfathers in some populations (19)(20)(21), including the present study population (22,23). There is also increasing evidence that caregiving predicts which fathers have lowest T (20,22,24).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Longitudinal evidence that fatherhood decreases testosterone in human males

Gettler

McDade

Feranil

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

435

381

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In species in which males care for young, testosterone (T) is often high during mating periods but then declines to allow for caregiving of resulting offspring. This model may apply to human males, but past human studies of T and fatherhood have been cross-sectional, making it unclear whether fatherhood suppresses T or if men with lower T are more likely to become fathers. Here, we use a large representative study in the Philippines (n = 624) to show that among single nonfathers at baseline (2005) (21.5 ± 0.3 y), men with high waking T were more likely to become partnered fathers by the time of follow-up 4.5 y later (P < 0.05). Men who became partnered fathers then experienced large declines in waking (median: −26%) and evening (median: −34%) T, which were significantly greater than declines in single nonfathers (P < 0.001). Consistent with the hypothesis that child interaction suppresses T, fathers reporting 3 h or more of daily childcare had lower T at follow-up compared with fathers not involved in care (P < 0.05). Using longitudinal data, these findings show that T and reproductive strategy have bidirectional relationships in human males, with high T predicting subsequent mating success but then declining rapidly after men become fathers. Our findings suggest that T mediates tradeoffs between mating and parenting in humans, as seen in other species in which fathers care for young. They also highlight one likely explanation for previously observed health disparities between partnered fathers and single men.challenge hypothesis | human evolution | hormones and behavior | paternal care | reproductive ecology I n male mammals, testosterone (T) stimulates the development and maintenance of traits and behaviors that contribute to male mating effort, including musculature, libido, conspecific aggressivity, and courtship (1-4). Although these T-driven traits factor into mating success, male reproductive fitness in some avian and mammalian species also depends on contributions to offspring care (5, 6). Because time and energy are finite (7), males in these species often face tradeoffs between conflicting behaviors related to mating and parenting. Adjustment of T production has been proposed as a physiological mechanism underlying this tradeoff, with males who focus on mating effort predicted to maintain elevated T, whereas males who cooperate with a female partner and invest in parental care should reduce T production (6,8). This model is well supported by data from a variety of avian species (6, 8), but evidence for its applicability to mammalian species in which males provide direct care is mixed (9). It is presently unclear whether T mediates the tradeoff between mating and parenting effort in human males, who often express paternal care facultatively.Humans have been described as serial monogamists who frequently engage in one or more long-lasting partnerships with females during reproductive life spans that last several decades (10-12). Humans are one of the few mammalian species in which paternal care is relati...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal evidence that fatherhood decreases testosterone in human males

Gettler

McDade

Feranil

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

435

381

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous findings also show that T can fortify traits associated with attractiveness and mating effort, such as the pursuit of status/social dominance (e.g., Archer, 2006) or the motivation to win a competition (Salvador, Suay, González-Bono, & Serrano, 2003). Other research examining paired (i.e., in committed and/or romantic relationships) versus non-paired (i.e., not in a committed relationship) men show differences in T levels in this predicted direction such that paired men have lower T; such findings have been shown repeatedly across both cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs (Burnham et al, 2003;Gettler, McDade, Feranil, & Kuzawa, 2011;Gray et al, 2004;Gray, Yang, & Pope, 2006). Because pair-bonding reduces the need to compete for mates, lower T levels may be a consequence, or alternatively, high T-levels may help facilitate mating for the most desirable mates.…”

Section: Testosteronementioning

confidence: 87%

Effects of exogenous testosterone and mating context on men's preferences for female facial femininity

Bird

Welling

Ortiz

et al. 2016

Hormones and Behavior

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Correlational research suggests that men show greater attraction to feminine female faces when their testosterone (T) levels are high. Men's preferences for feminine faces also seem to vary as a function of relationship context (short versus long-term).However, the relationship between T and preferences for female facial femininity has yet to be tested experimentally. This thesis examined the causal role of T in modulating preferences for facial femininity across both short and long-term mating contexts, using two separate experiments. Results of Experiment 1 (within-subject design, n = 24)showed that participants significantly preferred feminized versus masculinized versions of women's faces. Further, participants showed a stronger preference for feminine female faces in the short-versus the long-term context after they received T, but not after they received placebo. Post-hoc analyses suggest that this effect was driven by a lower preference for feminine faces in the long-term context when on T relative to placebo.Results from Experiment 2 (between-subject design, n = 93) were highly consistent with those of Experiment 1: men demonstrated a significant preference for feminized female faces in the short-versus the long-term context after T, but not after placebo administration, and this effect was driven by lower preferences for feminine faces in the long-term context when on T relative to placebo. Collectively, these findings provide the first causal evidence that T modulates men's preferences for facial femininity as a function of mating context.

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“…In keeping with the view that male parental investment increased during human evolution, a number of studies have identified possible suppressive effects of romantic relationships, marriage, or fatherhood on testosterone levels in men from several societies and, surprisingly, lesbians (Gray 2003;Gray et al 2002Gray et al , 2004Gray et al , 2006Gray et al , 2007Mazur & Michalek 1998;McIntyre et al 2006;van Anders & Watson 2006. Many of these studies have revealed interesting interactions suggesting that social and psychological factors might play subtle roles in regulating the suppression of testosterone and mating effort.…”

Section: Some Evidence From Adult Men and Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Early Development of Gender Differences

McIntyre

Edwards

2009

Annu. Rev. Anthropol.

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This article reviews findings from anthropology, psychology, and other disciplines about the role of biological factors in the development of sex differences in human behavior, including biological theories, the developmental course of sex differences, and the interaction of biological and cultural gendering processes at different ages. Current evidence suggests that major biological influences on individual differences in human gender, to the extent that they exist, operate primarily in early development, during and especially prior to puberty. Biological effects are likely to be mediated by relatively simple processes, like temperament, which are then elaborated through social interactions (as with mother and peers) into more complex gendered features of adult personality. Biological anthropologists and psychologists interested in gender should direct more attention to understanding how social processes influence the development and function of the reproductive endocrine system.

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Fathers have lower salivary testosterone levels than unmarried men and married non-fathers in Beijing, China

Cited by 168 publications

References 37 publications

Longitudinal evidence that fatherhood decreases testosterone in human males

Longitudinal evidence that fatherhood decreases testosterone in human males

Effects of exogenous testosterone and mating context on men's preferences for female facial femininity

The Early Development of Gender Differences

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