Men with high testosterone levels are more sexually active and more likely to CHEAT on their partners, study finds
- Researchers took saliva samples from 1,599 men and 2,123 women
- Participants also completed a quetionnaire on their sexual behaviour
- Men with high testosterone were more sexually active and likely to cheat
- Women with higher testosterone levels were more likely to have had a same-sex experience and to have recently engaged in solo sex
Men with higher testosterone levels may be more sexually active and likely to cheat on their partners.
Testosterone has long been linked with promiscuous behaviour among men.
Now a study has found those with more of the hormone really are more likely to have multiple partners at one time.
However it may be the behaviour which is causing testosterone to rise, instead of the hormone leading men to behave that way.
Men with higher testosterone levels may be more sexually active and likely to cheat on their partners (stock image)
Researchers took saliva samples from 1,599 men and 2,123 women, and looked at their answers to a questionnaire on sexual behaviour.
Men with higher testosterone were more likely to report having had more than one sexual partner at a time in the previous five years.
They were also more likely to have had recent sex, in the previous four weeks.
Women with higher testosterone levels were more likely to have had a same-sex experience and to have recently engaged in solo sex.
Wendy Macdowall, who led the study from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: ‘We always hear about testosterone in relation to men’s sexual behaviour, not women’s.
‘But we see this interesting link between testosterone and solo sex which is stronger among women than men.
‘In men, the hormone was more linked to sex with a partner, so it may be that women’s sexual behaviour is more heavily influenced by social factors.’
Researchers looking at testosterone took into account people’s relationship status, as men who are fathers, married or co-habiting have been found to have a lower level of the hormone.
They also accounted for people’s age, weight, health and the season, as men have less testosterone in the summer and women have more of it.
They found men and women’s sexual histories and attitudes to sex were still different based on their testosterone readings.
The study found that men with higher testosterone were more likely to report having had more than one sexual partner at a time in the previous five years. They were also more likely to have had recent sex, in the previous four weeks (stock image)
Men with more testosterone were less likely to say an open marriage or one-night stand were wrong.
Men’s testosterone was also linked to whether they had had sex recently, while women’s was linked to how often and how recently they had had sex alone.
Evidence suggests some women are more likely to have a pleasurable time on their own than with a partner, which may help to explain the difference, as may societal pressure not to have too many partners.
The results, published in The Journal of Sex Research, show that men and women’s desire for sex is no different based on their levels of testosterone.
There is growing interest in using testosterone supplements to improve people’s libido, particularly for men who are low on the hormone.
But it may play less of a role in people with normal levels.