Is Your Man Moody? - The Physiological Connection

The Physiological Connection

It has been scientifically proven that changes in men’s hormonal imbalance can also result in physiological changes which finally results in psychological changes. As the physiology of men undergoes changes so does the mind. For so long we associated tiredness, lethargy, weight gain, mood swings, hot flush only with PMS (premenstrual syndrome). But the same syndrome happens to millions of men too. It has been termed by some researchers as the irritable men syndrome (IMS).

A man’s mood swings may be less acute and it may last only for few days unlike that of women during PMS and menopause. Now the obvious question arises why does IMS occur in men? Renowned psychologist, Dr. Anjali Chabria says, “It happens due to sudden fall in testosterone level which affects their brain and, in turn, their moods. The causes are several. There may be stress at work, unhappiness with married life, some major illness of one self or some body else in the family.”

The obvious question that arises is that, why are women the only ones known for mood swings? This mainly because the hormonal imbalance during PMS and menopause is usually lot more acute than a man’s. There is a big drop and rise of the oestrogen-level during PMS and menopause which can create severe emotional imbalance and it generally lasts for a week.

Though IMS is becoming even more common in today’s modern world, some doctors beg to differ. When a man is in an irritable mood some doctor may try to explain it in terms of depression and that is because of the fall of cortisol levels. They ignore the fact that testosterone level could be falling too. The sudden fall in the testosterone level affects their brain and thereby their behavior.

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But there is a very fine line that divides long- term depression and mood swings. Depression is mostly triggered by some kind of trauma in one’s life, but mood swings occur by the inner functioning of the body. During this time when men suffer from IMS their tolerance level goes down. They are unable to control their emotions and they cry more often.