Numerous studies have proven that fatherhood lowers testosterone levels in the blood of men. After the birth of a child in the family, sexual activity decreases, therefore attachment to the family increases, and young dads do not go to the left. However, University of Michigan psychologist Sari van Anders argues otherwise. She does not question the results of her colleagues, but only emphasizes the complex relationship between hormones and the specific situation in which a person may find himself.
“Depending on the context and our behavior, various hormonal changes can be observed. These things are connected by very complex patterns. Sometimes in two similar cases, the surge of hormones into the blood can occur in completely different ways. It may depend on how the person perceives the situation,” the researcher explained. “This is especially true of fatherhood, when we can see an incredible variability in behavioral patterns,” she added.
To see how the release of the hormone would occur in each case, van Anders decided to conduct an experiment. She modeled four different situations in which the protagonist was a baby doll. They are commonly used in American high school classrooms to teach teenagers how to deal with children. The doll can cry very naturally and reacts to touch.
The experiment involved 55 volunteers aged 20 years. Prior to the experiment, they passed saliva for analysis to determine the level of testosterone, after which they were divided into four groups. The first one was the easiest one. The men just sat quietly in the armchair for a while, looking at the magazines. Having completed this simple task, they re-passed saliva samples and went home. This was the control group.
The second group had to handle a baby doll that was programmed to cry for 8 minutes. It was possible to calm the child only by putting a sensory bracelet on his hand and rocking him in his arms. The third group had a hard time: they were not given a bracelet. Therefore, no matter how hard the men tried, the baby did not calm down. But people from the last group were waiting for a more severe test. The doll was not given to them, but forced to listen to the cry, which, by the way, was very realistic, on the record. Therefore, they listened to lamentations, but could not do anything. After that, everyone passed saliva for analysis.
The results confirmed the hypothesis of Sari van Anders. Indeed, in three different situations (we still do not consider the first one), there were different amounts of testosterone in the blood of the subjects. Those who failed to calm the baby did not show any hormonal changes. Lucky men, in whose arms the child fell silent, experienced a drop in testosterone by 10%. While participants who simply listened to crying had their male hormone levels jump by 20%.
“Perhaps when a man hears a child crying, but cannot help, a subconscious reaction to danger is triggered, which is expressed in the desire to protect the child. In this case, the surging testosterone is not associated with sexual behavior, but with security,” suggests van Anders.