Testosterone could encourage a man to sing to impress a potential partner, research suggests

• Surge of the male hormone made male canaries sing more, and better
• Canaries used because of similarities between their brains and humans
  

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 21:08 EST, 31 December 2013 | UPDATED: 21:08 EST, 31 December 2013

A surge of testosterone could spark a man to burst into song to impress the fairer sex but quality could be everything, research suggests.

Tests on canaries suggest that how well they sing after a dose of the male hormone is key to romantic success.

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University, in the US, showed male canaries sang more after injections of testosterone in the brain.

The food of love: A surge of testosterone could spark a man to burst into song to impress the fairer sex but quality could be everything, research suggests

For a male, singing well is vital to attract a mate and those injected with testosterone in all parts of the brain sang best.

Canaries were used because their brain pathways are the same as ours, and there could be implications for humans, particularly men on steroids.

Researchers Beau Alward and Gregory Ball from the university's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciencies, believe the findings have implications for humans.

Their report said: 'These findings could shed light on how testosterone acts in the human brain to regulate speech or help explain how anabolic steroids affect human behaviours.'

Mr Alward added: 'It appears that, like in so many other species, testosterone in the POM can regulate an animal's motivation, in this case, the motivation to sing.

'However, singing and courting a female is more than just motivation.

Similarities: Canaries were used because their brain pathways are the same as ours, and there could be implications for humans, particularly men on steroids

'There is the quality of the song that is required to successfully attract a mate and then the process of attending to the female, or singing to her, when she is there which requires the coordination of multiple brain regions.'

Canaries were used because the neural pathways in their brains adapt to changing surroundings and behaviour in a similar way to human brains.

Mr Ball said: 'The hormones in these birds are identical to those in humans and they can regulate brain changes in a similar manner.'

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