A MAN’S spit may indicate what kind of father and husband he is. In tests on men in a polygamous society, those with high levels of testosterone in their saliva were more likely to have several wives and give their children less attention, compared with those with less of the hormone.
Alexandra Alvergne, an anthropologist at the University of Montpellier, France, and colleagues measured testosterone levels in polygynous and monogamous fathers as well unmarried men without children, all living in Senegalese villages. She also asked the men’s wives how much time and money their husband devoted to his family.
On…
