Testosterone And Paternal Care In East African Foragers And Pastoralists

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Veterinary
Article Date: 02 Oct 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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High testosterone levels in birds reduce male investment in offspring while increasing mate seeking and competitive behaviors.

Testosterone may have similar effects in humans, as married fathers in many western populations maintain lower levels than single men, but studies in non-western settings are inconsistent.

To test whether cultural differences in men's interactions with children affect testosterone, we compared neighboring Tanzanian groups exhibiting divergent styles of paternal involvement. Supporting our hypothesis, high levels of care by Hadza forager fathers were associated with decreased testosterone in comparison to non-fathers, whereas no such difference was evident among Datoga pastoralists, who provide minimal care.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences