Testosterone Levels Rise When Mutual Attraction Present on Speed Dates

Testosterone levels spike in the presence of mutual attraction, according to a study aiming to evaluate the hormonal profiles of speed daters.

The study, coming out of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, found testosterone levels only increased when participants shared mutual attraction.

One-sided attraction failed to produce a jump in testosterone levels in either participant.

Researchers looked at the hormone levels of 200 heterosexual male and female subjects as they participated in about 2,000 speed dates.

Participant hormone levels were measured by collecting two saliva samples two weeks before they participated in their speed dates, one sample right before their dates and one sample right after their dates.

“Researchers found testosterone levels only

increased when participants shared mutual attraction.”

Study researcher Eli Finkel believes a jump in testosterone levels likely accounts for the feeling of “chemistry” two people experience when they feel mutual attraction, noting the hormone’s crucial role in the mating process:

“Many people think that only men have testosterone, but that’s not the case. It’s true that men have much more testosterone than women do, but the links between testosterone and social outcomes are similar for men and women, and testosterone is associated with a stronger sex drive in both sexes.”

Source: Healthday.com.