Testosterone and marriage among Ariaal men of Northern Kenya
Testosterone and marriage among Ariaal men of Northern Kenya
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DOI：
10.1086/522061
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发表时间：
2007-10-01
影响因子：
2.2
通讯作者：
Campbell, Benjamin C.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gray, Peter B.;Ellison, Peter T.;Campbell, Benjamin C.
最近的研究表明，人类男性在交配（男性与男性的竞争和求偶行为）和养育子女方面的不同投资可能与睾酮水平的变化有关。Ariaal提出了一个有趣的测试案例，因为婚姻关系往往是冷漠和直接的父亲照顾最小的跨文化标准。一夫多妻制很普遍，而且随着年龄的增长而增加，年龄限制制度高度影响了向婚姻的过渡。一项关于婚姻状况对阿里尔人睾丸激素水平影响的测试涉及205名来自定居的农牧社区和游牧人口的20岁及以上的男性。每个参与者提供了早上和下午的唾液样本，其中睾酮水平进行了测量，在采访中提供了人口统计学背景，并进行了人体测量。正如预测的那样，在从单身汉和战士生活过渡到一夫一妻制婚姻的动态年龄（20-39岁），有一个妻子的男性的睾丸激素水平明显低于未婚男性。然而，与预测相反，一夫多妻制的男性并不比一夫一妻制的男性有更高的睾丸激素水平。虽然睾丸激素的变化可能与年轻男性的交配努力有关，但政治网络和财富可能是老年男性婚姻状况的更好预测因素。
Recent studies suggest that differential human male investment in mating (male-male competition and mate-seeking behavior) and parenting effort may be associated with variation in testosterone levels. The Ariaal present an interesting test case because marital relations tend to be aloof and direct paternal care minimal by cross-cultural standards. Polygyny is prevalent and increases with age, and the age-set system highly structures the transition to marriage. A test of the effect of marital status on testosterone levels among the Ariaal involved 205 men aged 20 and older from a settled agropastoral community and nomadic populations. Each participant provided morning and afternoon saliva samples in which testosterone levels were measured, provided demographic background during interviews, and had anthropometrics taken. As predicted, during the dynamic ages (20-39) of transition from life as a bachelor and warrior to monogamous marriage, men with one wife had significantly lower testosterone levels than unmarried men. Contrary to prediction, however, polygynously married men did not have higher testosterone levels than their monogamously married counterparts. While variation in testosterone may be associated with mating effort in young Ariaal men, political networks and wealth may be better predictors of marital status in older men.