--- title: Sex: Reduced Libido Lowers Testosterone, Not the Other Way Around description: An intriguing new study from Australia finds that a decline in testosterone levels appear to be the result of a lower libido, not the cause canonical: https://time.com/3736984/sex-libido-testosterone-levels-older-men/ author: David Stout article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-09T08:33:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:03:04.767Z article:section: Health og:title: Low Testosterone Is the Result of Less Sex, Not the Cause og:description: So says a new study conducted on a large group of older men in Australia. og:url: https://time.com/3736984/sex-libido-testosterone-levels-older-men/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ede2b4109de7947/698782b955a8593146a86323/old-man-woman-hands.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Elderly Couple og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Low Testosterone Is the Result of Less Sex, Not the Cause twitter:description: So says a new study conducted on a large group of older men in Australia. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6ede2b4109de7947/698782b955a8593146a86323/old-man-woman-hands.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Low Testosterone Levels Are Not the Cause of Less Sex but the Result of It > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=666346ec-5a3d-4c54-9691-16ae4e7be326&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A 100-Year-Old Sex Therapist on Having Good Sex, Then and Now [Watch (HLS stream): A 100-Year-Old Sex Therapist on Having Good Sex, Then and Now](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uJFYIrvP.m3u8) (3:13)  _Published 2014-08-20. A practicing sex therapist in New York City, Dr. Shirley Zussman has witnessed everything from the legalization of the contraceptive birth control pill to the AIDs epidemic in the 1980s to the rise of internet porn in the new millenium._ by [David Stout](https://time.com/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Mar 9, 2015 8:33 AM UTC Low-T drugs marketed to help men get their mojo back are having a moment, but are they safe? by [David Stout](https://time.com/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Mar 9, 2015 8:33 AM UTC It’s normally thought that lower testosterone levels in older men lead to less appetite for sex. However, an intriguing [new study](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150308091408.htm) from Australia finds that a decline in testosterone levels appears to be the _result_ of a lower libido. That’s according to a report in Science Daily. “In older men, decreased sexual activity and desire may be a cause, not an effect, of low circulating testosterone level,” concluded lead study author Benjumin Hsu, from the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health. The research followed men who took part in the Concord Health and Aging in Men Project — a study of 1,705 Sydney men ages 70 or over, described by organizers as “one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive study of the health of older men ever conducted anywhere in the world.” During a two-year period, scientists found that baseline serum testosterone levels in men did not predict a decline in sexual activity or libido. By contrast, a decline in testosterone was strongly related to less sex and less desire. Researchers behind the new report stress that it remains unclear what other age-related factors may be behind the reduction in testosterone levels. \[[_Science Daily_](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150308091408.htm)\] ### See the 10 Healthiest Cities to Live in America  Honolulu, Hawaii Best Place for Lifelong Health The heavenly climate helps, but the key to well-being here also includes enviable health care and a rich cultural tradition of looking out for one another. Colin Anderson—Blend Images/Corbis  San Francisco Bay Area, Calif. Best Place for Eating Right. The "farm to table" movement began here. The region's bounty of produce and year-round growing season make eating healthy—and local—a natural. Getty Images  Burlington, Vt. Best Place for Raising Healthy Kids This New England city offers great schools, excellent pediatric care, loads of culture and limitless options for healthy outdoor fun all year long. Matt Hogan/www.mphoganphoto.com  Silicon Valley, Calif. Best Place for Workplace Wellness With treadmill desks, meetings on bikes, time off for creativity, and gobs of organic food, tech titans are reinventing how to stay healthy on the job. Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux  Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Best Place for Aging Well Yes, it can be cold. But with a plethora of stimulating activities and a robust web of support, the Twin Cities prove that growing old doesn't mean slowing down. Getty Images  Denver and Boulder, Colo. Best Place for Keeping Fit The urge to get outside and get moving is contagious in these Rocky Mountain cities, where physical challenge is built into the landscape. Celin Serbo—Aurora Photos/Corbis  Plano, Texas Best Place for Staying Safe Once a rural outpost, this booming, diverse city has kept its small-town vibe, thanks in part to a police force and community that knows how to work together. Misty Keasler—Redux for TIME  Portland, Ore. Best Place for a Healthy Environment Small, walkable neighborhoods, 300 miles of bike paths, and urban policies that foster active living and sustainability make for one clean, green city. Getty Images  Boston, Mass. Best Place for Health Care This history-rich city is home to some of the nation's most advanced medical institutions and policies that help ensure that quality care is available to all. K.C. Cohen—Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital  Provo and Orem, Utah Best Place for Spiritual Well-Being A stunning Rocky Mountain backdrop and a tight-knit population that lives its faith contribute not only to this region's serenity but also to lower rates of disease. Getty Images ## Transcript [00:00] Sexual pleasure is only one part of what men and [00:03] women want from each other. They want intimacy, they [00:07] want closeness, they want understanding, they want [00:10] comfort, they want fun, and they want somebody who [00:14] really cares about them beyond going to bed with [00:16] them, and I think people are always seeking that. In [00:20] every generation. [ MUSIC ] [00:23] My name is Shirley Zussman. I just reached a hundred [00:27] years of age, and I am a practicing [00:32] sex therapist. I was invited with my husband [00:36] to a lecture in New Jersey, in 1966. Masters [00:41] and Johnson were the speakers. No body knew about [00:43] them. Human sexual response had just been [00:46] published, what I saw was a couple [00:51] who will say that people had problems in an area [00:55] in their lives that was very important and they were [00:58] recognizing that it was all not just. Glamorous and [01:01] wonderful to be sexual. One had to almost had to [01:05] learn how to be a good partner and to endure the [01:08] pleasure not only for yourself but for each other. And I [01:11] thought we can do that. Why can't we do that? And we [01:15] applied for training with Masters and Johnson at that [01:17] time. The patients that came to us were people who [01:21] read the paper. The only way they do anything about [01:25] the work that was being done there. And the problems [01:28] they came with, was somewhat different than the [01:30] problems they come with today. Mostly, women came [01:33] because would put out orgasmic, they didn't know how [01:36] to achieve an orgasm, but they wanted one. It [01:40] was so over that ,. Goal they had for themselves and [01:43] how do I get there. That was one Masters and [01:47] Johnson's contribution that there was a relatively [01:51] simple way to start learning about your body. In [01:55] other words, get, get to know your, who you are [01:58] sexually and physically and that was. And [02:03] encouragement for masturbation for learning what [02:06] makes you feel good. I [02:12] see a big change in the we view casual sex. [02:17] In the 60's I think it was not just casual it was frantic. [02:21] I'm shocked at the lack of connection with people; [02:25] because of iPhones, even I love my iPhone. There [02:30] is so much less actual physical connection, there's [02:34] less touching, there's less talking, there's less holding, [02:38] there's less looking, [ INAUDIBLE ]. People get pleasure [02:41] from looking at each other. But the most common [02:43] problem, I would say, in the sex therapy [02:49] that I live in, is a lack of desire. You have to look [02:53] at your priorities. You have to decide what is important [02:57] to make you feel good about yourself and your life. 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