Why Males Die Before Females
 

Why Males Die Before Females

http://news.**********/s/livescience...Buk_XSZles0NUE

In humans and many other animals, males age faster and die earlier than females.

New research suggests this might happen because of intense competition over sex.

Scientists compared monogamous species with polygynous species, in which each male mates with many females. Males in monogamous species, such as the barnacle goose or the dwarf mongoose, naturally compete less over females than ones in polygynous species, such as the red-winged blackbird or the savannah baboon.

After investigating about 20 different vertebrate species, researchers Tim Clutton-Brock and Kavita Isvaran at the University of Cambridge in England found the more polygynous a species was, the more likely their males were to age faster and die earlier than females.

The researchers explained that as competition among males for sex grows more intense, each male on average has less time to breed. As such, there is no strong incentive to evolve longevity among males in such species.

Since men age faster and die earlier than women, these findings suggest that "at the time when current human physiology evolved, perhaps around the late Stone Age, polygynous breeding was the norm," Clutton-Brock told LiveScience. "Of course, this doesn't provide any justification for polygyny or promiscuity now for males."

Clutton-Brock and Isvaran detailed their findings online Oct. 17 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.


So, there it is. I always suspected as much... ;)

Hah! Go figure :p

Well then, it appears I may enjoy a longer life from being monogamous the past 24 years! Yay me!
:)

i think it depends on how good you take care of yourself.

So all females magically take care of themselves that bit better than men, and always have? Come off it.

Promiscuous males wear out faster, bwahahaha....

It's also true that in humans, men are worse off longevity and health-wise if they never marry or if they are widowed. I always thought it was because the women in their lives made them go to the doctor, but maybe it's just biological programming.

and here I was always told it was 'cuz we nagged ya'll to death!

oh my. so this could be why married men live on average about ten years longer.

I'll have to be wed and sex, sex, sex.

But, I'd think also that unmarried males tend to be more reckless (no family to go home to) so they end up dying quick and taking the average down.

I never really thought about it at all. I'm female. The only thing I ever thought about it was "Ha ha, I got the good gender".

(I am in no way saying men are inferior. I like most men.)

Usually the male gender gets lazy and you know the saying "use it or lose it" is applied here. Females of the baby boomer generation, generally were house wifes and worked cleaning house and doing what their lazy husbands didn't want to do. Instead the guys just sat in a chair and wasted there bodies on Television and with a beer in there hands. I think it's correct to say people that keep on working instead of retiring generally keep there bodies in shape, living just a little longer then average.

Hell, I can think of worse ways to go.

My boyfriend is 5 years younger than me and people always say that is good because we will die around the same time.

We don't live longer, it just FEELS like 10 years longer... ;)

Live fast die young.

Hmm...my boyfriend is five years older than me...so what this is saying is that I will outlive him. GO OLD AGE SEX!!!!!!! XD

Well, shit.

Ha. Oh well, it's just about 5 years right? Nothing to worry about. At least you'll be dead and your significant other will be alone for a bit and you yourself don't have to suffer through that. Just a thought.

Well drat it all.
My boyfriend's nearly ten years older than me.
I'll just have gotten settled when I'll suddenly be a spinster for the last fifteen years of my life.
Or I could just not believe this, as males in his family seem to have genetic longevity, slim figures and really great hair.

Damn, that sucks. Well, Live Free or Die Hard!!!

Rubbish. Live hard, die free!

Actually, that sound much better.

It's always well known fact that women do outlive men on average. It is probably the psychological and biological factor.

Sheesh! I'm always so cynical, when I see studies like this...I tend to wonder who funded the research? Whether it was a particular group who have a vested interest in promoting the idea of monogamy. Maybe not, but you have to wonder.

Anyhooo, its good to be female...:-)

Well that kind of sucks. Not that I'm going to live that long, but still...