Why Is This Important?

Because relationships and testosterone are two things that define a man, and they are apparently at odds with one another.

Long Story Short

A new study finds that men in long-term relationships exhibit lower levels of testosterone than single men or men in newer relationships. Earlier research only focused on the relationship/no relationship binary.

Long Story

Many a man has joked that he feels like less of a man once he’s settled down. Usually, that’s attributed to reduced engagement in things like overt womanizing, dick-measuring contests and other boneheaded “stereotypical male” behavior. However, a new study by researchers from the University of Sunderland and the University of Worcester finds that they may not be joking at all — men in long-term relationships (more than one year) consistently tested lower for testosterone than single men or men in new relationships.

The study involved taking salivary samples from 76 heterosexual men between the ages of 18 and 39. Men were grouped based on their relationship status into two groups: Long-term, and either single or near-term. This was a departure from earlier studies, which asked men to categorize their relationship status with vagaries like “casually dating” or “in a relationship.”

Across the board, men in committed relationships longer than one year exhibited lower testosterone levels than their counterparts. Neither age nor relationship satisfaction nor sexual behavior appeared to have any effect. If you’re tied down, you have lower T-levels, period. This is believed to play an evolutionary role, as men with lowered testosterone are more likely to be better caregivers and less likely to pursue additional sexual partners.

The study leaves a lot of questions unanswered, namely that of cause and effect. Since there was no baseline testosterone measurement, it’s not immediately clear that relationships result in lowered testosterone. It could be, for instance, that men with lower testosterone are more likely to seek out steady relationships, whereas men with higher levels may be inclined to remain single in order to enjoy a wider variety of partners.

That shouldn’t necessarily stop you from holding this little tidbit over your wife’s head, though.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: Is there a way to keep testosterone high while in a steady relationship?

Disrupt Your Feed: This is why I’m never getting married.

Drop This Fact: Testosterone is tied to winning – when your team wins, your testosterone levels rise, while the losing fans’ levels drop.