Article summary with Testosterone and Sexual Desire in Healthy Women and Men by Van Anders - 2012

The article describes a research study investigating the link between testosterone and sexual desire in healthy adults. Previous studies have shown mixed evidence regarding this link, with some suggesting that men have higher sexual desire due to higher levels of testosterone. However, these studies have mostly been conducted with clinical populations or animal subjects. The current study aims to examine the role of psychosocial factors in understanding the association between testosterone and desire in healthy individuals. The study focuses on three psychosocial domains: sexual behavior, gender/sex attitudes, and sexual self-esteem. By integrating physiological and psychosocial variables, the study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between testosterone and sexual desire.

How did the experiment go?

This experiment, part of the Partnering, Physiology, and Health (PPH) study, aimed to investigate the psychosocial context of hormone-intimacy links. The study included 196 participants (91 women and 105 men) recruited from the psychology participant pool and the community. The participants' age ranged from 18 to 35 years, with the majority being students or having some college or advanced training.

Several questionnaires were used to collect data on various aspects, including sexual desire, stress, mood, self-esteem, loneliness, exercise, and sexual body image. The Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI) was used to assess participants' sexual desire, measuring both solitary and dyadic desire. Other questionnaires measured well-being, perceived stress, positive and negative affect, self-esteem, loneliness, exercise frequency, and sexual body image.

Saliva samples were collected from participants to measure hormone levels. Testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels were assessed using radioimmunoassay. Salivary hormone assays were chosen due to their ease of collection, lack of biohazards, and correlation with serum hormone levels.

The statistical analyses included correlations, partial correlations, and linear regression. The researchers examined the relationships between T and sexual desire, and the potential influences, mediators, and moderators using the collected variables. Confounding variables such as test date, sampling time, BMI, nicotine use, and age were considered in the analyses. Separate analyses were conducted for men and women, except when examining gender differences specifically.

What are the results of this experiment?

Here are the key findings of this study:

1. The testosterone values for women (M = 13.36 pg/mL, SD = 6.25) and men (M = 83.36 pg/mL, SD = 30.79) were within expected ranges. Men had significantly higher testosterone levels than women.
2. Testosterone showed diurnal variation, with later times of testing resulting in lower testosterone levels.
3. Solitary and dyadic sexual desires were positively correlated for both men and women, indicating some level of association between the two, but they did not measure the same underlying construct.
4. Testosterone was negatively correlated with dyadic desire in women, but the correlation was not significant. Including other variables such as cortisol and perceived stress made the negative correlation significant, suggesting that these factors may influence the association between testosterone and dyadic desire in women.
5. Testosterone was positively correlated with solitary desire in women, but the correlation was not significant. Group difference analyses revealed that women with no solitary desire had significantly lower testosterone levels than women with some solitary desire.
6. Testosterone levels were not significantly correlated with either dyadic or solitary desire in men. Psychological variables and confounds did not account for the lack of association.
7. Men had significantly higher levels of both solitary and dyadic desire compared to women. Testosterone did not mediate the gender/sex differences in desire.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between psychosocial factors, testosterone, and sexual desire in healthy men and women. The findings challenged the assumption that T directly affects sexual desire or explains gender differences in desire. The study revealed that in women, T was negatively correlated with dyadic sexual desire when controlling for stress parameters. However, solitary sexual desire was positively linked to T. Masturbation frequency was found to be a confounding factor, suggesting that previous studies may have overlooked its importance. The study also debunked the notion that T is more important for men's sexual desire than women's, as T and desire were not linked in healthy men. Instead, behavioral variables, such as masturbation, were significant predictors of gender differences in desire. The study emphasized that desire should be viewed as a multidimensional construct and highlighted the complex associations between T and different aspects of desire. The limitations of the study included the sample's age range and the potential influence of other untested variables. Additionally, the study could not establish the directionality of the relationship between desire and T. Overall, the findings shed light on the role of psychosocial factors and challenge existing assumptions about the relationship between T and sexual desire.