MANLY men are more romantic but not necessarily randier, science suggests.

A study found that higher levels of the male hormone testosterone were linked to greater “courtship effort”.

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The hormone gives blokes deep voices, big muscles and hairy chests, and is typically linked to hot-blooded desire.

But researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, did not find a direct link to sex drive.

Instead, they saw single men with greater levels put more effort into trying to woo potential partners.

Testosterone was higher overall in single fellas than coupled ones, suggesting it motivates them to settle down and then hormone levels decrease.

Upturns common belief

Study author Dr James Roney said: “Despite a common belief that testosterone regulates fluctuations in sexual desire, there is little direct evidence.

“It may instead motivate mating effort through other means, such as by promoting courtship effort.

“We produced evidence that testosterone fluctuations in the normal range may predict changes in mate attraction efforts among single men, especially given social interactions with potential mates.”

It could motivate romancers to crack jokes, pay compliments or buy flowers.

The study, in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, included 41 men aged between 18 and 26.

They took daily saliva samples and answered questions about their sex drive and flirting efforts for a month.

Testosterone boost helps find a partner

Dr Roney added: “These results essentially suggest that elevated testosterone functions to promote mate competition efforts in single men.

“Relationship entry as a result of these efforts may in turn lead to lower testosterone production with a shift in effort away from courtship.”

All the men in the study had variations of healthy levels of testosterone, and abnormally low amounts are known to impact sex drive.

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