It’s all in the Name: Could Men Cause the Menopause?

Scientists have never really understood why the menopause occurs. It is an area of sexual health that has remained a mystery, as it is hard to understand why evolution – which is all about the reproduction of the species – should allow a gene to persist which causes females to lose their fertility halfway through their lives.

Many women struggle during the menopause, and find that their wellness and wellbeing is affected by a whole host of unpleasant symptoms, including mood swings and hot flushes. Scientists have, therefore, been keen to find out the reasons behind the menopause, to see if discovering the root cause of the menopause could help to make it more bearable for women.

In the past, two theories have been suggested as possible causes for the menopause. One is that people are able to survive longer because they are not fertile into old age. Another is something called the ‘grandmother effect’ where it is believed that women stop being fertile so that they can turn their attentions to helping to raise the young, i.e. their grandchildren.

Now a new theory has been suggested which claims that men may actually be the cause of the menopause. It is all in the name, after all!

The theory claims that the human race started off with women remaining fertile throughout their lives, but men preferred to mate with younger women. It is thought that some women had genetic mutations which led them to become infertile in mid-life, and that because men preferred to mate with younger women the gene mutations were allowed to persist, until it got to a point that all women became infertile in mid-life and experiencing the menopause.

Researchers made a computer programme to simulate evolution, and found that their theory about evolution worked consistently within the programme.

 

Categories: cause, men, Menopause

Lie-ons and Cheat-ahs: Are Humans the Most Deviant Animal?

Compared with most animals, humans engage in a host of behaviours that are destructive to our own emotional wellness, and the wellbeing of others. With your ability to talk, perhaps, comes a unique opportunity to lie and cheat, but why do humans do it so much?

Studies have found that lying is a common behaviour among the human race, and though no one quite knows, for certain, why you do it, it has been often tied to deep psychological factors. University of Massachusetts psychologist Robert Feldman has conducted studies in which people lie frequently, with 60% lying at least once during a 10-minute conversation. He explains, ‘It’s tied in with self-esteem. We find that as soon as people feel that their self-esteem is threatened, they immediately begin to lie at higher levels.’

Another study has found that telling fibs isn’t even the easier option, but that lying takes 30% longer than telling the truth and doing it on purpose involves a complex definition of processes. According to philosophy professor James E. Mahon, of Washington and Lee University, ‘Certain conditions have to be in place for a statement to rise to the level of a lie. First, a person must make a statement and must believe that the statement is false. Second, the person making the statement must intend for the audience to believe that the statement is true. Anything else falls outside the definition of lying that I have defended.’

And without lying, another destructive behaviour would become very difficult: cheating. According to a survey on Americans by the Pew Research Centre, about 10% are ambivalent about cheating on a spouse, saying that it is morally acceptable or not a moral issue. However, studies have shown that people who espouse high moral standards are among the worst cheats, as they, in some twisted way, consider cheating to be an ethically justifiable behaviour in certain situations.

Experts say that cheating comes down to a simple explanation: men are wired to want sex, a lot, and are more likely than women to cheat. Lawrence Josephs, a clinical psychologist at Adelphi University in New York, comments that men in power, such as politicians who otherwise urge good family values, are sometimes more likely to cheat on a spouse. ‘People don’t necessarily practice what they preach,’ he says. ‘It’s not clear to what extent people’s ethical values are actually running what they do or don’t do.’

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Lie-ons and Cheat-ahs: Are Humans the Most Deviant Animal?

Categories: cause, cheating, Lying