It’s been a rough few weeks for anything male. According to a study released this week, males of just about every species are being feminized—or even wiped out of existence—by the slew of unregulated chemicals in our water and environment.
And for those already locked in male adulthood, there’s more bad news: Men in New York City are reportedly losing their desire for sex because of the financial crisis. According to a (highly non-scientific, but not unbelievable) trend piece in the New York Post, many former masters of the universe are shunning coitus due to anxiety over job losses, lost wealth, and other monetary realities of 2008.
While a host of psycho-social factors are likely behind this reported mass libido-loss (assuming that it’s true), it’s possible that a growing disinterest in sex during an economic crisis is linked to physiology, and perhaps even evolution. In other words, hard economic times may translate into a built-in desire for less procreation.
We know that economic hard times and sex/birthrates are linked: fertility declines during recessions, primarily due to the fact that families know they’ll have a harder time raising children. Children born during downturns may also feel the brunt of the economy during gestation and infancy, according to recent research indicating that being born during a recession could lead to a shorter life span.
Given these factors, it’s not a stretch to think the male libido might slow down as a natural reaction to drastic economic conditions. On a physiological level, a man who loses his cave/401K/high-powered job will likely experience a drop in testosterone, one of the hormones primarily responsible for sexual functioning.
Granted, whether or not all the laid-off female bankers are feeling similarly less-than-aroused has yet to be explored.
Related:
RB: Sexual Harassment: A Bad Plan for Population Growth
December 9th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Have not had sex for 10 years took up smoking and a good beer
a beer does not complain,always tast’s good,is healthy,does not argue,
has a good feel to it,spend a long time drinking a beer,no divorce from
drinking beer,and smoking ultra lights organic herbal cigarettes are
better than the others.most women have forgotten how to make love
to a guy,they are too fussy about their weight,want too much from a
guy,only the young girls are trying sex for the first time to see what
its like,they like it or they don’t.too many women are used in porn
by men and women.innocence has been lost,love is no longer what it
used to be,people on the earth are too concerned about money,
religion,politics,eating. but that’s the truth folks!
December 9th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
ok it says to post a comment well i already did ….see the above
December 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Not to mention all of the women nagging their guy to get a better job, etc etc. I bet it’s more psychological/sociological than physiological.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I agree, Bob, that a beer and a smoke beat the heck out of religion, politics, and divorce any day. Nonetheless, since you brought it up, I have to point out that there are women who say that men have forgotten how to make love to them, that men nag or drop “helpful hints” regarding women losing weight, that men always want to argue (that it is important for them to be right rather than have a give and take discussion). Add all this to the disincentive to do the act that leads to procreation, perhaps an evolutionary response to recession, and maybe in ten years if recession sighs into depression, we’ll be looking at a negative birth rate in the U.S. Not that such is necessarily a bad thing, but perhaps you men and women who complain about the opposite sex need to make more of an effort to understand one another. After all, sex can now be separated from procreation, and the sex act seems to bestow all sorts of health benefits if no one is passing on any STDs (reductions in stress levels and blood pressure, etc). Those benefits can perhaps offset the negative health aspects of economic stress. Bob, take it from someone who has been happily married for 27 years, in these difficult times it’s much easier to get by with a committed partner.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
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STD test such as Herpes I and II, that’ s Herpes Simplex I and Herpes Simplex II should be checked for if you have come in contact with anyone that may be infected. Herpes STD tests investigates mouth and genital Herpes. HSV I tests for cold sores on t…
September 28th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Herpes Tests, Dallas…
AIDS stigma is still a huge problem, especially for women in the black and Latino communities, which is why many of them seek to avoid testing and treatment. Treatment advocates are also wrestling with the growing problem of drug- resistant strains of …
November 15th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Nice post!
November 16th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with