On Testosterone and Real Men: An Interview with Lee Gettler plos.org
excerpt
Lende: Your paper got a lot of press, and some of that coverage went the sensationalist route. What are some of the common mistakes you have seen in the popular reporting on this research?
Gettler: Some examples of headlines associated with our article:
“Less Macho, More Daddy” and “Fatherhood Lowers ‘Manly’ Hormone, Keeps Dad at Home” and “Fatherhood: The ultimate libido-killer?”
I think many news agencies, whose goal is obviously and unapologetically to attract readership, ran with the notion that masculinity, testosterone, and sex drive are all equatable or synonymous, which they clearly are not. Is some testosterone necessary for libido? I think research on men with clinically low testosterone provides evidence that, yes, it is, but once we are talking about the “normal range” of testosterone the relationship between testosterone and libido becomes much weaker and the factors that influence a man’s sexual desire go well beyond one hormone.