Men with smaller nuts may be more nurturing dads

[hh5]

Men with smaller testicles may be more nurturing dads

Fatherhood prowess may be related to testicle size, Emory University researchers are reporting.

 

Their new study shows that men with smaller testicles tend to be more nurturing fathers, more willing to change a diaper than their counterparts toting larger testes.

 

"Our data suggest that the biology of human males reflects a trade-off between investments in mating versus parenting effort," James Rilling, an associate professor of anthropology at Emory, said in a statement.

 

For the study, published Sept. 9 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers recruited 70 fathers who had a biological child between ages 1 and 2, and who lived in a home with the child and its biological mother.

 

Matching up biological families was crucial because the researchers were testing the "Life History Theory" of evolution, which says that males only have a finite amount of resources to allocate towards reproduction. Therefore, differences in fathers' parenting skills may reflect an evolutionary trade-off between putting greater resources towards being a father or towards mating. For example, promiscuous primates that have to compete with other males to spread their seed tend to have larger testicles than monogamous primates in pair-bonded relationships, Rilling explained to CBSNews.com.

 

Are these sorts of trade-offs also occurring in people?

 

"We're interested in trying to identify variables why some men become more involved in caring for their children than others," said Rilling.

 

Fathers and mothers were interviewed separately and asked about dad's involvement in hands-on care tasks like changing diapers, feeding, bathing, taking the child to the doctor or staying home with him or her for sick days.

 

Dads also got their levels of testosterone -- a male sex hormone -- measured, before undergoing fMRI brain scans to measure activity when they looked at pictures of their own kids with happy, sad and neutral expressions. Dads also looked at similar photos of an unknown adult with a child for comparison.

 

The anthropologists found the smaller the size of the dads' testicles, or testes, the more caregiving was reported by both parents. Men with lower testosterone levels were also more likely to be more involved fathers.

 

[Ron]

What was the news source you are quoting from, hh5?

 

The BBC News app had both less information and more -

1.)  But other factors, such as cultural expectations, also played a role.

 

2.)  MRI scans showed a three-fold difference between the volumes of the smallest and largest testicles in the group.

 

3.)  One of the researchers, Dr. James Rilling, told the BBC: "It tells us some men are more naturally inclined to care-giving than others, but I don't think that excuses other men. It just might require more effort for some than others.

 

4.)  The exact nature of any link is not clear.

 

5.)  "We know, for instance, that testosterone levels go down when men become involved fathers," said Dr. Rilling.

 

6.)  Further studies, involving analyzing the size before and after becoming a father, are still needed.

 

7.)  All of the men were from the Atlanta area so the relative impact of society and biology has not been measured.

 

There is no reference to the ethnicity of the father group. Was it a varied group or otherwise?

 

Life experience leads me to this conclusion: Whatever the personality type, a man slinging around a pair of Alpha sized boys or whether carrying some petite gonads, either is just as likely to produce the 'horn dog' individual.

[Ashi]

What I want to know is, who thought up "let's do a research on ball size and whether he'd be a good father."

[Zombie]

 

For the study, published Sept. 9 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers recruited 70 fathers who had a biological child between ages 1 and 2, and who lived in a home with the child and its biological mother.or their children than others," said Rilling.

 

 

Two issues in addition to Ron's point about any cultural / ethnic bias, which is unclear

1. this is a minuscule sample - tiny tiny tiny!!

2. the sampling methodology seems deeply flawed because if the report is accurate "researchers recruited 70 fathers who had a biological child between ages 1 and 2, and who lived in a home with the child and its biological mother" which means the "researchers" pre-selected a sample of men that were already performing parenting duties - see Brink's rant about bad science/tists

[Y_B]

I have bigger balls than almost every guy I've met. Guess I won't be a good dad

[Ron]

I have bigger balls than almost every guy I've met. Guess I won't be a good dad

 

They do say everything's bigger in Texas! So here we have our proof. 

[Zombie]

I have bigger balls than almost every guy I've met.

 

You lookin' at me, punk?

 

[joann414]

You lookin' at me, punk?

 

You and Dang Bear are on a roll today.  lmao

[Slytherin]

OMG    

[Aditus]

I totally did the wrong research...

[Sasha Distan]

What I want to know is, who thought up "let's do a research on ball size and whether he'd be a good father."

 

I second this question. way more interesting

[Thorn Wilde]

I'm just slightly concerned because whomever wrote that article felt the need to specify what testosterone is. Who doesn't know that?

[hh5]

here is the link

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57602224/men-with-smaller-testicles-may-be-more-nurturing-dads/

What was the news source you are quoting from, hh5?

 

 

Edited September 10, 2013 by hh5

[hh5]

By RYAN JASLOW / CBS NEWS/ September 10, 2013, 12:13 PM

I'm just slightly concerned because whomever wrote that article felt the need to specify what testosterone is. Who doesn't know that?

[rustle]

I second this question. way more interesting

Take it a step further. How big are his? Is this research study itself a means of compensating for personal size?

[Ron]

Take it a step further. How big are his? Is this research study itself a means of compensating for personal size?

 

Or maybe he just wants to cop a feel... or 70. 

[Ashi]

I have bigger balls than almost every guy I've met. Guess I won't be a good dad

 

You've not been empty your balls lately....  Anyways....  No gayby for you!

[Ashi]

Oh, I scanned through the articles a little bit now.  Now everything puts in perspective, it's pretty obvious.  It's known fact guys' testosterone level do decrease when women they live with get pregnant.  It's nature's law to keep them from killing their own children.

 

That said, now everyone, keep your gayby away from guys with big balls....  :eyes a certain Texan: 

[Benji]

...............Who the hell dreams up these studies??? 

[thebrinkoftime]

At the Emory University Department of Dubious Studies, the team had gathered in the conference room on that cobalt gray morning to discuss the next study they should all throw themselves into with reckless abandon.

 

The conversation between the faculty members at the table had grown lively just about the time the morning coffee had infiltrated their kidneys and made them start squirming in their seats. All were oblivious to the the Director of the Department of Dubious Studies, a Dr. Dick Sphere, who was staring outside at the titanium gray clouds like a teenager angsting after his first crush while listening to Adele's Rolling in the Deep.

 

"Your suggestion to work with the local police departments on taking testosterone samples of rape offenders at the time of the crime, and monitor the levels until they become rape victims in the prison, is a fascinating one, Mary, but I see a lot of problems with the logistics," offered Dave helpfully.

 

"Personally I'm partial to Daniel's suggestion that we look into the anatomy of the jellyfish and reinvestigate why it stings -- I find the idea that the jellyfish may be more intelligent than we at first anticipated and are mounting an organized hive mind attack to reclaim the beaches by indulging in reverse beastiality with humans one well worth putting milliions of dollars of the state's money to the test," Joanette said, with a Prozac smile on her face.

 

Timothy timidly and timorously tipped into the tumble. "Um, perhaps we ought to continue those studies of the physiological difference of apes and their relationship to humans; it seems well underway with several of our colleagues, we can join in and perhaps make another meaningful link between primates and humans that will help us understand our child-rearing physiology better?" David patted Timothy on the head and told him to fill the copy machine with more paper, and by the time he returned everyone had got their morning exercise -- they had prodigiously strained their eyes with several exhaustingly draining rolls to the left and right for Timothy's absurd proposal. The whole team felt good about their early morning workout.

 

It was when Daniel and Ms. Snoopes were going head to head over a proposal to look into whether parents who chewed on pencils as a child had a propensity to give birth to children with Down's Syndrome that Apu, the Indian intern from Iceland, put his foot down, turned to the middle-aged existentialist and gray-cloud-researcher and said, "So Dr. Sphere, which proposal do you think we should do?"

 

For Dr. Dick Sphere's part, he had been lost in the words of his wife earlier this morning. Her words haunted him like a ghost mosquito out for ghostly blood. It happened at the moment when little Johnny had told little Betty at the breakfast table this morning that if she didn't stop splashing his face with cereal milk he was going to shove his Skylander toys up her ass and Dr. Dick Sphere had chuckled, turned to his wife and said, "Boys will be boys." Dr. Dick Sphere had never seen a conniption before, but he had spent years studying hurricane patterns in southern Florida and he was sure the two natural phenomena were about to converge inside his wife, when suddenly her face took an air of superior calm and she countered with, "You don't have the balls to raise our children."

 

So when he was confronted by the hopeful faces of his faculty to put a stop on a debate on whether they could get funds to study whether consumption of Payday candy bars led to sexual prowess, it was with great pride and conviction that Dr. Dick Sphere announced what their next study would be.

Edited September 11, 2013 by thebrinkoftime

[Ron]

You've managed to make this more entertaining that it already was, Brink. *tips nonexistent cap*

[Zombie]

At the Emory University Department of Dubious Studies ... 

 

[crazyfish]

"Son despite what your mom says about me being unavailable, I did you right in the end. Those big balls you have, you got them from me.  Great with the broads huh?  So who cares if I didn't wish you a good night everyday?  I got big balls, You got big balls, so we are golden. 18 years don't mean nothing when you're well-equipped for life already."

Edited September 11, 2013 by crazyfish

[hh5]

click to find out why Tarzan screams when he swings

Edited September 11, 2013 by hh5

[Celethiel]

"Personally I'm partial to Daniel's suggestion that we look into the anatomy of the jellyfish and reinvestigate why it stings -- I find the idea that the jellyfish may be more intelligent than we at first anticipated and are mounting an organized hive mind attack to reclaim the beaches by indulging in reverse beastiality with humans one well worth putting milliions of dollars of the state's money to the test," Joanette said, with a Prozac smile on her face.

 

yes do that study

That whole story was great! Hahahaha!