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Why you've been horny
since conception (your own):
You've been lit up on testosterone right from
the start, even when you were just a multicelled
notion in your mother's womb. The inherited Y
chromosome that makes you male (thanks, Dad)
triggers two bursts of testosterone that change
your brain and body. The first produces a male
brain: one that's more interested in objects,
actions, and competition. The left (parietal)
lobe flourishes in the testosterone bath and
helps you visualize objects in three dimensions
(good for catching a football or watching a
woman cross the street), and it boosts your
aptitude in mathematics (that's how you estimate
that she's about a 34DD). In addition,
testosterone beefs up your hypothalamus, the
area of the brain that's interested in sex. The
hypothalamus is twice as large in men as it is
in women.
Why you became even
hornier in junior high:
That's when the second big burst of testosterone
hits, causing your hair to sprout everywhere,
your voice to flip from Norah Jones to James
Earl Jones, and your interest in third base to
go from literal to metaphorical. (Touch 'em
all!) Your body now harbors 20 times the level
of testosterone found in girls your age, which
accounts for your sexual obsessions.
Unfortunately, your brain is maladapted for
sociability, so she can overwhelm you with
words, and all you have to counter them is
silent (thank goodness) adolescent lust. It's an
advantage she has that you'll never make up. On
your side of the ledger: Your left brain--the
planning center--is massive, which helps in
planning the Panama Canal, a rocket launch, or a
lifetime of wedded bliss.
Why she's staring at
your ring finger:
Because it knows and tells all. University
of Liverpool researcher John Manning has
determined that the size of a man's ring finger
is related to how much testosterone he received
in the womb. That's true of your penis, as well.
The more T, the longer they grow. It's
interesting to note that your digital symbol of
virility is also the finger on which she slips
the golden shackle during the wedding ceremony.
Why a guy has to watch
his testosterone level throughout his life:
Women are more predisposed (in brain structure
and hormone secretions) to settle down and start
a family than you are. But committing to family
life is easier for men who have lower
testosterone levels. A study of more than 4,000
men found that men with high testosterone levels
were 43 percent more likely to get divorced and
38 percent more likely to have extramarital
affairs than men with less of the hormone. Guys
with high levels were also 50 percent less
likely to marry in the first place. Men with the
least testosterone were more likely to get and
stay married, maybe because lower testosterone
levels make men more cooperative. If you're too
cooperative for your own good, build some
muscle: It will increase testosterone levels
over time. You can even coordinate dating with
workouts. A study at Baylor University
determined that testosterone levels were highest
48 hours after weight lifting.
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