¹The Maxwell School, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

²Institute of Medical Sociology and Social Medicine, Medical School, Philipps University Marburg, Germany

³Department of Dermatology, Medical School, Philipps University Marburg, Germany

⁴Department of Sociology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

Correspondence to: A Mazur, 400 Eggers Hall, The Maxwell School, Syracuse University, Syracuse NY 13244, USA. E-mail: amazur@syr.edu

Married men in Germany (n=48) and America (n=50) between 50 and 80 years old, none in poor health, provided comparable information on sexual behavior and attitudes, and gave saliva samples from which testosterone was assayed. Sexuality declines with age, as expected. Neither testosterone nor psychological depression explain levels of sexuality. In both nations, wife's desire for intercourse, subject's ability to maintain an erection, and subject's imagination about other women, explain certain aspects of sexuality. Subject's health and marital satisfaction are related to sexuality among Americans but not among Germans. Behavioral models for the two nations are compared.

International Journal of Imptoence research (2002) 14, 101-106. DOI:10.1038/sj/ijir/3900833

aging; sex; testosterone; men; erectile dysfunction