That archetypal image of a foul tempered old man - face like a slapped arse, sitting in an armchair and wagging a crooked old finger as he pontificates about 'the youth of today' - may be a stereotype, but it's one that's actually rooted pretty firmly in facts.
According to science, men are genetically hard-wired to become grumpier as they get older. So, next time your grandad starts moaning about the economy, pop music, his food being too hot, his food being too cold or your gran in general, spare him a thought, because his irritable temperament is actually the result of a hormonal imbalance.
But don't tell him that, it might put him in a mood.
Testosterone levels generally fall as men enter old age, according to the Mayo Clinic. These sorts of hormone drops are responsible for dampening male moods, says Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, head of the International Society of Men's Health and a urologist in New York City.
"Testosterone is a hormone that grows muscles, reduces fat in the body, affects energy, and improves sexual desire," Shabsigh says. "However, it also has neural-psycho effects. And in some men we encounter in our practice, those affects can be mostly visible: low mood and irritability."
In fact, grumpiness is even used as a mood description when screening men for low testosterone levels.
"Patients with low testosterone tell me they feel less capable of concentration. And they feel less capable of tolerating the nuances of everyday life - from family, friends, colleagues and customers," Shabsigh said.
"Whatever you do, you have people around you, and you get irritated sometimes. The ability to tolerate or deal with it is reduced when the testosterone is low."
Just to make older men even more likely to suffer from grumpiness, certain metabolic and kidney diseases, including diabetes, are known to cause abnormally low testosterone. Because these types of disease are very common in later life, it adds to the potential.
For the vast majority of healthy men, testosterone levels remain the same until around the age of 60. From this point on there is a gradual decline.
According to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, around 30 percent of men over the age of 75 suffer from low testosterone levels. The question of whether to treat such cases 'remains a matter of debate', according to the Mayo Clinic.
These factors, coupled with the fact that men are, on the whole, less likely to share concerns about growing old, make bad moods all the more likely in old age.
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Oh well, something to look forward to, eh LADs? Well, or not, as the case may be.
Featured Image Credit: Walt Disney Motion PicturesTopics: Interesting