Under the thumb.
Posted: Fri May 07, 2004 11:55 pm
Scientists who conducted a research program on people in love found the following facts.
They found that men who had recently fallen head over heels in love have lower levels of testosterone than single men who are not in a recent loving relationship or those in long term relationships.
They found the reverse effect in women, where women who had recently fallen deeply in love had a higher testosterone level than their natural normal low level.
As testosterone is linked to aggression and self asssertiveness, the scientists say that falling in love can soften men and toughen up women. Men who have recently fallen in love are often taunted by their peers for 'being under the thumb', but the scientists say they are simply following what their body is naturally telling them, due to lowering of their testosterone level.
This may partly explain why many men, in the early stages of falling in love often follow the woman's wishes and shun nights out with their mates.
Dr Donatella Marazziti of the Italian University of Pisa said her findings showed that men had become more like women and women had become more like men.
She said, " It's as if nature wants to eliminate what can be different in men and women because it's more important to survive and mate at this stage."
Her research team measured the blood levels of several hormones in a group of men and women who said they had recently fallen madly in love during the previous 6 months. These were compared with the levels of a group of other males and females who were either not in a relationship or were in a long term stable relationship. She said that men and women who were deeply in love were found to have considerably higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which is linked to the feelings of stress, thus showing that falling in love can prove to be a testing time for both men and women.
Her prime objective was to measure the testosterone levels and she discounted the idea that the level changes were due to increased sexual activity because many previous studies have shown that this ordinarily leads to increased levels of testosterone in men.
The program showed that after one to two years, when the same people said they were no longer madly in love, their hormone levels returned to normal.
Another similar study at University College London also found further evidence of how falling in love helps men and women overcome their differences.
It discovered that when they took a lover, the brain regions associated with critical judgements are suppressed, showing that love really is blind.
Kind Regards.
Sally.
They found that men who had recently fallen head over heels in love have lower levels of testosterone than single men who are not in a recent loving relationship or those in long term relationships.
They found the reverse effect in women, where women who had recently fallen deeply in love had a higher testosterone level than their natural normal low level.
As testosterone is linked to aggression and self asssertiveness, the scientists say that falling in love can soften men and toughen up women. Men who have recently fallen in love are often taunted by their peers for 'being under the thumb', but the scientists say they are simply following what their body is naturally telling them, due to lowering of their testosterone level.
This may partly explain why many men, in the early stages of falling in love often follow the woman's wishes and shun nights out with their mates.
Dr Donatella Marazziti of the Italian University of Pisa said her findings showed that men had become more like women and women had become more like men.
She said, " It's as if nature wants to eliminate what can be different in men and women because it's more important to survive and mate at this stage."
Her research team measured the blood levels of several hormones in a group of men and women who said they had recently fallen madly in love during the previous 6 months. These were compared with the levels of a group of other males and females who were either not in a relationship or were in a long term stable relationship. She said that men and women who were deeply in love were found to have considerably higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which is linked to the feelings of stress, thus showing that falling in love can prove to be a testing time for both men and women.
Her prime objective was to measure the testosterone levels and she discounted the idea that the level changes were due to increased sexual activity because many previous studies have shown that this ordinarily leads to increased levels of testosterone in men.
The program showed that after one to two years, when the same people said they were no longer madly in love, their hormone levels returned to normal.
Another similar study at University College London also found further evidence of how falling in love helps men and women overcome their differences.
It discovered that when they took a lover, the brain regions associated with critical judgements are suppressed, showing that love really is blind.
Kind Regards.
Sally.
