Is it true that men’s brains change when they become fathers?
Raising children requires unique abilities. Mothers and fathers have to anticipate the needs of their children, understand them and care for them, often without experience and with very few hours of sleep. According to some researchers, it is not surprising that parents have to adapt to successfully perform their new roles.
Studies have shown, for example, that when women become pregnant and after giving birth, physical changes in their brains which, some researchers suspect, can help prepare women for motherhood.
And research shows that the new Parents experience similar changes.
The brain changes that men experience may favor “the ability to form a bond with the baby and connect sensitively with himbecause that is important for the survival of our species,” he says. Darby Saxbea psychology professor at the University of Southern California who has studied structural changes in the brain.
Saxbe and his Spanish colleagues carried out brain imaging studies in 40 future parents before and after the birth of your first child. The researchers found that although the structural changes were more subtle than those seen in women, men experienced a reduction in gray matter before and after becoming parents.
The researchers observed that these changes occurred mainly in the cerebral cortexwhich plays a role in executive functioning, including memoryhe thoughthe reasoninghe learningthe Problem resolution and the emotional processing. According to Saxbe, this reduction, a type of rationalization process, is believed to help the brain process information more efficiently.
In fact, in a follow-up study, Saxbe and a colleague found that among 38 first-time parents, those who experienced a more significant reduction in gray matter volume in the cerebral cortex showed a greater motivation and commitment towards parenthood.
“They felt closer to their babies before they were born“, Explain. “And then later on, they spent more time with their babies as primary caregivers.”.
Men also experience hormonal changes before and after becoming parents.
A study showed that the first time they hold their newborns, parents receive a rush of oxytocinimportant for the emotional bond.
Another study, conducted with more than 600 men, found that men in their early 20s with higher testosterone levels were more likely to become co-parents in the follow-up period, four years later. Later, those who became co-parents experienced significant drops in testosterone, compared to single non-parents, who experienced modest drops.
The highest levels of testosterone In men, among other things, they facilitate competition when looking for a partner. “The idea is that the decrease in testosterone during the transition to parenthood reorients attention and priorities… towards family“, it states Lee Gettlerprofessor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame and lead author of the testosterone study.
Gettler and his colleagues observed some complementary results in men who became fathers again at age 30. However, the results were less dramatic in older fathers, possibly because men produce less testosterone as they age, says Gettler, also director of the Laboratory of Hormones, Health and Human Behavior at the University of Notre Dame.
In another study, reduced testosterone and increased cortisolthe stress hormone, in men who had just become fathers was related to greater parental involvement in the following months.
According to experts, not much is known about the changes that occur in men who become step parents either adoptive parents.
According to a study, the gay parents who were the primary caregivers showed a elevated activation in the emotional processing center of the brainsimilar to that of mothers who were the main caregivers.
“Men’s bodies prepare for the demands of fatherhood in ways that parallel those experienced by mothers, but in other ways they are different or have evolved specifically in fathers to help them focus on the needs of their partners and their children,” says Gettler.
While reduced gray matter in new parents may contribute to a better bonding and commitmentthe changes are also linked to a increased risk of postpartum depression, anxiety and poor quality of sleep in men.
“It’s more of a mix”says Saxbe.
From structural changes in the brain to hormonal changes, men’s bodies appear to adapt to help them prepare for fatherhood.
(c) 2024, The Washington Post
