Supporters’ testosterone levels fell as McCain lost

MEN who voted for Republican John McCain in last year’s US presidential election saw their testosterone levels fall significantly when they learned he had lost to Barack Obama, a study showed yesterday.

Saliva samples collected from 163 men on the evening of the election showed that voters for McCain and Obama had similar testosterone levels when polling stations closed on the east coast, but the levels in McCain backers fell when Obama was announced as the winner.

Testosterone levels among men who voted for Obama remained stable. Taking into account the fact that polls shut and results were announced at night — a time when men’s testosterone levels decline — the study said the level was equivalent to a rise.