Big Early-Death Risk: Being Male
Inborn Drive to Take Risks Dooms Men to Early Demise
May 27, 2004 -- No matter where you go, one thing seems to be true: Men die younger than women do.
The most dramatic difference is at the doorway to adulthood. At age 20 to 24, men die three times more often than women do. But it's not just young people. At almost every age up to 80 -- in every developed country -- men are more likely to die.
The findings come from three huge databases analyzed by University of Michigan researchers Daniel J. Kruger, PhD, and Randolph Nesse, MD. The data covers 11 causes of death in 20 countries, with particular emphasis on the U.S., the U.K., Sweden, France, and Japan.
"Being male is now the single largest demographic risk factor for early mortality in developed countries," Kruger and Nesse write.
Their findings appear in the current issue of Evolutionary Psychology. The researchers will also present the findings at this week's meeting of the American Psychological Society.
The problem with men is evolution, Kruger and Nesse suggest. In humans, the female bears the main responsibility for nurturing and raising children. That makes them picky about the men they choose as mates. To prove their virility, men engage in displays of sexual fitness: risk taking and competitive displays such as combat.
Nowadays, these sexual displays may not be the best way to attract a sex partner. But the genetic urge toward risk taking drives men to behaviors that increase their risk of death in two ways. First, men are more likely to die as a result of injuries due to risky behavior. Second, men are more likely to die of diseases brought about by risk-taking behavior such as smoking, drinking, and poor diet.
And there's a third way men die more often than women: by suicide.
"For every 10 premature female deaths, 16 men die prematurely," Kruger and Nesse write.
What can we do about it? Kruger and Nesse aren't optimistic.
"If male mortality rates could be reduced to those for females, one third of al male deaths under age 50 would be eliminated," they note. "Since these deaths result from complex interactions of sex, behavior, and culture, simple solutions are unlikely."
SOURCES: Kruger, D.J. and Nesse, R.M. Evolutionary Psychology, 2004; vol 2: pp 66-85. News release, University of Michigan
Big Early-Death Risk: Being Male
Inborn Drive to Take Risks Dooms Men to Early Demise
May 27, 2004 -- No matter where you go, one thing seems to be true: Men die younger than women do.
The most dramatic difference is at the doorway to adulthood. At age 20 to 24, men die three times more often than women do. But it's not just young people. At almost every age up to 80 -- in every developed country -- men are more likely to die.
The findings come from three huge databases analyzed by University of Michigan researchers Daniel J. Kruger, PhD, and Randolph Nesse, MD. The data covers 11 causes of death in 20 countries, with particular emphasis on the U.S., the U.K., Sweden, France, and Japan.
"Being male is now the single largest demographic risk factor for early mortality in developed countries," Kruger and Nesse write.
Their findings appear in the current issue of Evolutionary Psychology. The researchers will also present the findings at this week's meeting of the American Psychological Society.
Sexual Display
The problem with men is evolution, Kruger and Nesse suggest. In humans, the female bears the main responsibility for nurturing and raising children. That makes them picky about the men they choose as mates. To prove their virility, men engage in displays of sexual fitness: risk taking and competitive displays such as combat.
Nowadays, these sexual displays may not be the best way to attract a sex partner. But the genetic urge toward risk taking drives men to behaviors that increase their risk of death in two ways. First, men are more likely to die as a result of injuries due to risky behavior. Second, men are more likely to die of diseases brought about by risk-taking behavior such as smoking, drinking, and poor diet.
And there's a third way men die more often than women: by suicide.
"For every 10 premature female deaths, 16 men die prematurely," Kruger and Nesse write.
What can we do about it? Kruger and Nesse aren't optimistic.
"If male mortality rates could be reduced to those for females, one third of al male deaths under age 50 would be eliminated," they note. "Since these deaths result from complex interactions of sex, behavior, and culture, simple solutions are unlikely."
SOURCES: Kruger, D.J. and Nesse, R.M. Evolutionary Psychology, 2004; vol 2: pp 66-85. News release, University of Michigan
SHARE
