I just read this somewhere so I don't know if its true. If so how? So does that mean elderly men don't have to undergo TRT if they cuddle on a regular basis?
Lol ~ The visual I had of a guy being affected by cuddling the same as Popeye eating spinach...! 🤣😂🤣
In short, yes. Some light reading:
Post on Medium regarding testosterone, nurturant versus sexual behavior, and cuddling. The eye-opening quote:
We know from past research that testosterone levels increase in response to sexual experiences, but they decrease when we engage in nurturant behaviours. This may help to limit aggressive behaviour and promote friendliness. For example, when a man spends time with his children, his testosterone levels go down because playing catch with junior is clearly a nurturant behaviour. But cuddling is peculiar because, although it’s often perceived as a nurturant behaviour, it boosts testosterone, just as we’d expect if it was a sexual behaviour.
Another interesting article from Vice (and yet another disclaimer that has to be repeated on here often: if you're a guy that doesn't want to cuddle guys, then don't - simple as that):
As for Anderson's claim of cuddling being semi-sexual in nature, he's not wrong. Oxytocin is produced both while cuddling and during sex, but the use of oxytocin in the brain isn't limited to cuddling and sex—it's also secreted in women during childbirth, and while breastfeeding. There's also a real difference in the amount of oxytocin released during sex versus while cuddling. According to Zak, "during sex, there is an average increase of about a 100 percent [in oxytocin] from baseline, and the effect is larger in women than men," but while cuddling, there is a "moderate oxytocin stimulus, increasing from single digits to 40-50 percent (for someone you really like/love/lust) and again stronger in women than men." In addition to the different amounts of oxytocin released during sex vs. while cuddling, the neurochemistry of sex is much more complicated than the release of two chemicals in the brain; there are four different defined stages of sex as defined by researchers Masters and Johnson (excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution), and during each stage there are different amounts of a variety of chemicals at play including testosterone which makes a person feel virile, and prolactin which relieves the sense of arousal after sex.
As for Anderson's claim of cuddling being semi-sexual in nature, he's not wrong. Oxytocin is produced both while cuddling and during sex, but the use of oxytocin in the brain isn't limited to cuddling and sex—it's also secreted in women during childbirth, and while breastfeeding. There's also a real difference in the amount of oxytocin released during sex versus while cuddling. According to Zak, "during sex, there is an average increase of about a 100 percent [in oxytocin] from baseline, and the effect is larger in women than men," but while cuddling, there is a "moderate oxytocin stimulus, increasing from single digits to 40-50 percent (for someone you really like/love/lust) and again stronger in women than men."
In addition to the different amounts of oxytocin released during sex vs. while cuddling, the neurochemistry of sex is much more complicated than the release of two chemicals in the brain; there are four different defined stages of sex as defined by researchers Masters and Johnson (excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution), and during each stage there are different amounts of a variety of chemicals at play including testosterone which makes a person feel virile, and prolactin which relieves the sense of arousal after sex.
so it seems like women get more oxytocin from cuddling Than men.
This article suggests that looking at something pink, "has been observed to reduce hostile, violent or aggressive behavior".
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker-Miller_pink
It might suggest that some relaxing hormone is released, and hence partly explains the value of close-up "face time", at least for Caucasians.
Makes sense evolutionarily. If the men got as much oxytocin as women from cuddling, they might've preferred snuggling with the fam over hunting for some meat.
@littermate It also makes evolutionary sense for men to need some cuddling, else they would stay out hunting and / or finding new "baby-mothers" and not bother bringing any of the meat back.
I think men are programmed to want to share their success, rather than to share their failure ; so that they will be content to hunt alone, then want to be back with the family when they've made a kill.
This seems to be the case in modern life ; when men gather to celebrate, but much less often seek companionship when they are unhappy.
I’m on testosterone therapy and it is affecting my estrogen levels as a result making me more “emotional” but either way my love for cuddling hasn’t changed
@geoff1000 interesting