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Men in committed, romantic relationships have lower testosterone.

T C Burnham¹, J Flynn Chapman, P B Gray

¹Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, USA. tburnham@hbs.edu

Hormones and Behavior

|September 18, 2003

Summary

Men in committed relationships show 21% lower testosterone levels. This suggests pair bonding, not marital status, significantly impacts male testosterone, influencing mating and parenting behaviors.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Psychology
Human Behavior
Endocrinology

Background:

Male testosterone levels are linked to behavioral strategies for mating and parenting.
Understanding factors influencing testosterone is crucial for comprehending human reproductive behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between committed romantic relationships and male testosterone levels.
To determine if relationship status or marital status is a more significant predictor of testosterone.

Main Methods:

Saliva samples were collected from 122 male business students to measure testosterone.
Participants completed questionnaires regarding their relationship and marital status.

Main Results:

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Men in committed relationships exhibited 21% lower testosterone levels compared to single men.

No significant difference in testosterone was found between married men and unmarried men in committed relationships.

Conclusions:

Pair bonding status appears to be a more influential predictor of male testosterone levels than marital status.
Lower testosterone in committed relationships may reflect a shift towards parenting effort over mating effort.