A genetic study published last week looks at correlations between the timing of male puberty and some other physiological features. The opening sentences of the article are

The timing of puberty is highly variable and is associated with long-term health outcomes. To date, understanding of the genetic control of puberty timing is based largely on studies in women. Here, we report a multi-trait genome-wide association study for male puberty timing with an effective sample size of 205,354 men.

The key findings include that there is a relationship between hair color and the age of starting male puberty. Those boys of European heritage with black hair tend (on average) to begin puberty the earliest, followed by those with dark brown, light brown, red, and blond, in that order. The other major discovery is that:

The findings support a genetic association between later puberty timing in males and longer lifespan, corresponding to 9 months longer life per year later puberty.

They found no significant correlation between age of beginning puberty and prostate cancer, which had been suggested by some other, much smaller, studies that did not take genomic details into account. They did find that earlier puberty was correlated with some other cancers, cardiovascular disease and a higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

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Hollis, B., et al. (2020). Genomic analysis of male puberty timing highlights shared genetic basis with hair colour and lifespan. Nature Communications 11:1536 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14451-5)

Thanks @Jesus,

That answers a lot of questions. I always thought that puberty was something scared into me after I was forced to strip naked and take a shower in the open shower room in the 7th grade.

At that point, it was no longer an option. It was a survival from death by embarrassment. <wink>

Ah pshaw. Imagine how Rog felt.

I remember a lot of my male friends changing suddenly but for me puberty was drawn out. My voice never got that sudden drop and I caught flack in the Army over the sound of my voice. One of my friends was covered in body hair by 7th grade and had a heavy 5 o’clock shadow very day by the end of school. His early puberty also stunted his growth. Now he’s short, fat and bald.

It's amazing how varied the development of boys of the same age can be. Even into the late teen years, there is still a variety of maturity, or lack thereof.

I'd imagine that a few of the boys in Rog's shower probably ran screaming that first day.

Jockstraps and showers were part of sixth grade PE, so I would have been eleven the first time I stripped down with other guys. I had been taught to keep my stuff covered and was weirded out at first, but a few days later grab assing around in a communal shower with two dozen other naked kids seemed perfectly normal. The two early bloomers acted kind of superior, but other than their hair I don’t remember anything else special about them.

The seventh grade teacher preached that hair didn’t make a man, but by then we knew that more was better, and a bush was a status symbol that year, and standard equipment on a cool kid in the sperm spewing eighth grade.

One kid who transferred into our class refused to get “nekkid” as he put it, and was therefore considered weird. The teacher let him shower in his undies, but he then had to wear them like a wet diaper for the rest of the day. He lasted a week before stripping with the rest of us, and despite speculations, the only thing special about him was his Southern accent.

Although testicles were targets at that age, the homophobic taboo against actually touching them made you safer naked than fully clothed.

High school PE classes weren’t grade specific, so fourteen year old children and eighteen year old men stripped down together. A few kids weren’t circumcised and one sophomore always popped a boner, and although the older guys must have better rigged, I don’t recall being impressed; it was hair and muscles that got my attention, not dicks and balls. Most freshmen were skinny kids with pubes and pits but a lucky few were bulked up or had hair everywhere like the older guys, some of whom even had to shave every day to comply with the school’s grooming code.

There were no concessions to modesty; the showers were open and crowded and you were always bumping into each other and most kids stayed only long enough to wash the sweat off. Towels were issued on the way out and never worn around the waist, and everyone went barefoot. Comparisons were no doubt made, but after the first few days no one seemed concerned about who had or saw what and guys just went about getting dry and dressed. I attended two different high schools and it was the same at both.

I wasn’t athletic and I didn’t like PE, but I certainly wasn’t traumatized by stripping down and showering. Sweaty adolescents stink, so showering after a workout was a necessary rite of passage as well as a bonding experience, and it was definitely educational. There was Kid Stuff and Man Talk, but nothing sadistic or demeaning and certainly nothing gay; any fruitiness while naked would have gotten a guy pounded back then.

I didn’t take PE after my sophomore year, so the next time I stripped down with other guys was at the Selective Service draft physical. I was fully grown at eighteen but still didn’t need to shave every day and was a little intimidated by the gorillas, but as soon as the shorts came off I realized the seventh grade teacher had been right.

Paolo wrote: Sat May 02, 2020 8:04 am It's amazing how varied the development of boys of the same age can be. Even into the late teen years, there is still a variety of maturity, or lack thereof.

I'd imagine that a few of the boys in Rog's shower probably ran screaming that first day.

Haha guys, honestly... lol

I was really uncomfortable and caught a lot of shit about my "over development". It's funny now but at the time I developed quite a complex. By start of 10th grade I was over it though.

Paolo wrote: Sat May 02, 2020 8:04 am It's amazing how varied the development of boys of the same age can be. Even into the late teen years, there is still a variety of maturity, or lack thereof.

I'd imagine that a few of the boys in Rog's shower probably ran screaming that first day.

I hit puberty at 11 years old and had to keep it shaved so that I didn't get harassed at school especially PE and Sports time in the showers. Yet a friend of mine was nearly eighteen before he hit puberty and got hair and could achieve a climax, he got it all the time from the others.

I went to boarding school in England from the age of 8. We had sports every day except Sunday. You weren't allowed to wear anything under your sports shorts. Showered in a communal shower . If it was your "bath night" rather than shower, you had to share the tub with another boy. We were always running around naked. I can remember being told to get out of the pool and go put on swim trunks if I wanted to get back in, which seemed totally ridiculous! That often depended on the Master on duty. Most could care less. I was the last boy in my dorm, at age 12, to get pubic hair. Everyone else had a good bush except me, I got gynecomastia instead lol.

For me, puberty happened VERY late. I was a senior in high school before it really kicked in. I did, however, develop breasts at around age 13 (becoming a large b cup/small c cup) and have a fairly feminine, hourglass shaped body. My breasts are still the same size and female in appearance - especially my nipples that become very erect and sensitive during masturbation (which is the only type of sexual activity I have ever experienced). My penis has always been and is still very small - just under 3 inches hard and inverted soft. It just never grew during puberty. I was fortunate enough to realize my deep felt need for an orchiectomy with scrotal removal of my undersized testicles in Dec. of 2005 by Dr. Kimmel. It was something I knew I always needed even as a young child (hard to fully explain). It is still the best decision I ever made. And, I still dream of the day I can complete my penectomy with urethral reroute which I hope will be very soon if I can find someone to do it. I have always tried to avoid (but very much enjoy seeing) others in "communal" places of nakedness like showers, etc. I am so happy to be on here where I can meet, share, and learn from others like me. I hope the COVID-19 pandemic will not force cancelation of the annual gathering this year as I am determined to attend and become more involved with others like me. I need that experience in my lonely, boring life.