McCain Voters Wilted On Election Night

A study of men who voted for John McCain last November shows they experienced a "sharp drop" in their testosterone levels after the election results were announced.

By taking multiple saliva samples from 183 young men and women on election night, researchers found that the testosterone levels of men who voted for John McCain or Robert Barr dropped sharply 40 minutes after Obama was announced the winner. The testosterone levels of men who voted for Obama stayed the same throughout the evening. This could be significant because testosterone levels normally rise and fall throughout the day. The study, published in in PLOS One, is one of many that indicates a link between men's moods and testosterone, although which causes which is not clear. Women who voted for a losing candidate did not show a similar drop in testosterone, although in a questionnaire prepared by the researchers they reported feelings of unhappiness, of being controlled and feeling submissive similar to those remarked by men who voted for a losing candidate.

As John Aravosis says over on AmericaBlog, the jokes - they write themselves. In an unrelated but equally hilarious study, it's been demonstrated that men behind the wheel of flashy sports cars experience a huge surge in testosterone, even on streets where women can't see them. Scientists describe the vehicles as "sex signaling devices" that invoke an involuntary response for men to advertise themselves as good breeding stock. Or middle-aged.