CrazyCatLord wrote:
TheSunAlsoRises wrote:
Stress will age you.
IF you believe in statistics, the numbers say most adult Autistics are unemployed and living at home without children. The struggle to keep a job, pay a mortgage, and raise children causes: stress.
The Autistics who are independently living are either in group homes or refusing to enter the rat race inorder to keep up with the Joneses. Both lifestyles minimizes STRESS.
That seems logical. But according to studies, single men are more prone to stress and more likely to suffer from stress-related diseases than men in relationships. They also have a lower life expectancy.
The main reason is the higher testosterone level of single men. Married men have lower testosterone levels, and the t. levels of fathers are especially low. This guarantees high aggression and increased risk-taking behavior in unattached males (nature wants us to aggressively compete for potential mates, after all), whereas family providers and infant caretakers act paternal and level-headed rather than aggressive, irritable and reckless.
Testosterone is not only a problem because it contributes to reckless behavior such as drug abuse, which is a lot more common among single men. Like all steroid hormones, it also has negative health effects such as an increased metabolic rate and a reduced immune response. But there are other factors that aren't related to testosterone, such as the desperation and depression of many long-time singles, the lack of a caregiver in times of illness, a less balanced diet (many singles don't have the time to cook healthy meals), lack of a close confidant (talking is very therapeutic), and the lack of close physical contact and bonding hormones such as oxytocin and vasopressin, which have many health benefits.
I guess pet ownership can simulate a child caretaker role to some degree. It is well documented that pets have a therapeutic effect, but they can't replace a partner. Anyway, single/unattached men generally suffer more stress and should age faster as a result.
The testosterone issue as it relates to stress is an interesting one. There are studies that indicate that lower testosterone individuals are less competitive and experience greater levels of stress when they are subjected to a highly competitive environment.
One wouldn't normally see them in a role of a CEO. This isn't only restricted to males, females have lower and higher naturally occuring levels of testosterone, as well.
Whereas, higher testosterone individuals are more stressed when they are subjected to an environment which is not competitive, where they can't seek and maintain social status. It's only an association seen in research, and of course there are many exceptions to that finding.
On page 20, of this thread, I noted a website related to autism and neoteny. Highly masculinized features will naturally make an individual look older than feminized features. Features that trend in the feminized direction make an individual look more domesticated.
I mentioned in the previous link I left, that I wasn't aware of any hard evidence of how this might be related to aspergers.
But, I came across some research that suggests that the impact of stress and other factors that change the prenatal hormonal environment are not only suggested to possibly influence the development of autistic like traits, but also result in demasculinization in males, and even in the children of those males, regardless of prenatal stress.
That could potentially explain why some male individuals look young for their age; their facial features may not be as masculinized as other individuals.
There are also a great many environmental agents other than stress, such as manmade chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system, that could play a similiar role; and, other research suggests it does, both in the demasculinization of males, also a potential role in traits associated with autism.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/62941024/Early-Prenatal-Stress-Epigenetically-Programs-Dysmasculinization-in-Second-Generation-Offspring-via-the-Paternal-Lineage
Another factor that I haven't noticed in this thread, is sun exposure. People that work in physically demanding jobs outdoors, involved in sports outdoors, and other outdoor activities skin becomes damaged and thinner, resulting in skin that looks older than it's years.
Are autistic people on average less likely to work outdoors, or play outdoor sports in their youth? If so, that could definitely be a contributing factor as well.
One interesting thing, I've noticed from looking at old photos of elder relatives, in their youth, and their school pictures is that those children, looked much older for their age, as compared to children today of the same ages. The common factor was strong masculinized features in the faces of those youth, that don't appear as common today.
And, from a clinical perspective, studies have shown that over all in the last several decades, testosterone in middle age men have dropped on average by 15 percent.
This is in the general population, so it appears to be a common phenomenon, that could be related to many factors, including environmental agents that disrupt the endocrine system, as well as prenatal stress factors, that no doubt have changed some in the last several decades as woman have gained reproductive control and entered the workforce.
Extremely high levels of testosterone, are related to some difficulties with health, but low levels are related to health difficulties as well.
One thing of note too, while fatherhood has been shown to lower testosterone, to nuture children, some single individuals have lower testosterone levels to begin with, as part of their nature, that may influence how agressively they pursue a mate, as well.
Another interesting point to, is now since women have entered the workforce, men on average play more of a role as caretaker of children, than before the workforce became an equal one for men and woman, out of necessity.
Some men and women find this extremely stressful and some gain a great deal of joy out of it, but in general while there are many rewards of parenthood; greater responsibilities lead to more stress, from a physiological perspective, even if one thrives off it.
There is kind of a stress continuum there from a single person that might or might not enjoy their lifestyle and potentially not experience as much stress as compared to two individuals, happily married, working fulltime, to a married couple with financial difficulties attempting to raise four children, regardless of testosterone levels.
And finally, the same studies that suggest that prenatal stress may demasculinize males also, suggests that those same individuals may be more prone to the effects of anxiety and stress as well. Some of that probably depends on the demands of their specific environment and how well they adapt to it, as well.
22 Jan 2012, 6:05 pm
Curse: When some anonymous lady thinks I am a young teenager or I get carded--I am old enough to fight and die for my country, yet too young tto buy raffle tickets', beer or booze!!
lol)
That has to count for something.
