Romantic involvement often reduces men's testosterone levels--but not always: the moderating role of extrapair sexual interest.
Testosterone (T) appears to facilitate what biologists refer to as mating effort--the investment of time and energy into same-sex competition and mate-seeking behavior. Multiple studies show that men who are romantically involved (i.e., are paired) have lower T than single men, which may be due to a facultative adjustment by men of T levels in response to lower demands for mating effort. The authors proceeded on the basis of the idea that men who retain interests in sexual opportunities with women other than a primary partner continue to dedicate more time and energy to mating effort when romantically paired, and so they predicted that the association between relationship status and T depends on men's extrapair sexual interests. Study 1 used the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory to measure extrapair sexual interests, whereas Study 2 used a broader measure to examine this interaction. Both studies found support for it. These results have implications for an understanding of the biosocial regulation of men's behavior in romantic relationships.
McIntyre
Matthew
M
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mmcintyr@hsph.harvard.edu
Gangestad
Steven W
SW
Gray
Peter B
PB
Chapman
Judith Flynn
JF
Burnham
Terence C
TC
O'Rourke
Mary T
MT
Thornhill
Randy
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005114:Extramarital Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D012747:Sexual Partners; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D013739:Testosterone