New research conducted in the UK suggests that sexual behaviour such as cheating and masturbation may be linked to hormone levels; specifically, high levels of testosterone.
In a new peer-reviewed study published this week in The Journal of Sex Research, researchers found testosterone levels appear to be significantly linked to the types of intimate relationships both men and women engage in, and also their sexual behaviour.
London scientists tested the hormone levels of nearly 4000 adults through saliva samples before issuing sex-based questionnaires and found a strong link between high testosterone levels in men and having had more than one sexual partner at the same time in the last five years.
In women, they found testosterone levels were significantly higher in those who had experienced a same-sex relationship, or reported solitary sexual activity (masturbation) more recently and more frequently than others.
Until now, testosterone has commonly been regarded as the biological driver of sexual desire in men, although evidence has been inconclusive. Its role in female desire is even less understood.
The authors say the findings help address 'the deficit' in attention paid to the role of androgens in women's sexuality.
"There's a sparsity of population-level data on the differences between men and women in the relationship between testosterone and sexual function, attitudes and behaviour," says researcher Wendy Macdowall from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
"Questions have been raised about the nature of sexual desire in women and how little we understand about what it is that is desired.
"Our data tends to confirm that differences between men and women need to be understood by examining them in the context of social as well as hormonal influences on sexual function and behaviour."
The team behind the study also added that while they cannot prove testosterone actually causes such behaviours, their findings could help us understand the different effects that hormones have on each gender and their sexual function, attitudes and behaviour.
