Presidential election outcome changed voters' testosterone

[Are_grits_groceries]

Vicarious participation in a contest had a measurable effect on the physiology of men in a study conducted at Duke and the University of Michigan. Credit: Duke University

Young men who voted for Republican John McCain or Libertarian candidate Robert Barr in the 2008 presidential election suffered an immediate drop in testosterone when the election results were announced, according to a study by researchers at Duke University and the University of Michigan.

In contrast, men who voted for the winner, Democrat Barack Obama, had stable testosterone levels immediately after the outcome. Female study participants showed no significant change in their testosterone levels before and after the returns came in.

The men who participated in the study would normally show a slight night-time drop in testosterone levels anyway. But on this night, they showed a dramatic divergence: The Obama voters' levels didn't fall as they should, and the McCain and Barr voters lost more than would have been expected.

"This is a pretty powerful result," said Duke neuroscientist Kevin LaBar. "Voters are physiologically affected by having their candidate win or lose an election."

In a post-election questionnaire, the McCain and Barr backers were feeling significantly more unhappy, submissive, unpleasant and controlled than the Obama voters. The findings mirror what other studies have found in men who participate directly in an interpersonal contest -- the winner gets a boost of testosterone, while the loser's testosterone drops. Testosterone is a steroid hormone manufactured by the testes that is linked to aggression, risk-taking and responses to threats.
http://www.physorg.com/news175281081.html

Muh.... It was a small control group. They are going to repeat the study at a Duke/UNC basketball game. That oughtta do it.

[MrModerate]

1. Response #1: They were unmanned? That explains a lot . . .

of the behavior we've seen, post-election.

Response #2: Bullshit.

[liberal N proud]

2. Let me guess, these people got a grant to study this

:rofl:

Unbelievable that someone actually studied such a thing.

[Bosso 63]

3. Obama neutered the GOP?

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

4. is this is another thread about Palin?

[Barack_America]

5. But did they fling poo?

:shrug:

[Orsino]

6. 2009 Fox News line-up explained.

TV of, by and for impotent white men...and the women who love them.

[paulsby]

7. not surprising ,similar studies

have been done of men watching sports events. when their team wins, T levels spike. if their team loses, the levels depress.

testosterone is controlled by the HPTA and that is susceptible to all sorts of environmental influences.