It is clear that the arrival of a baby does not generate the same physiological changes in men and women. Although every day we discover something new about the incredible consequences that motherhood brings to the female body, the truth is that they also occur in the male body and mainly in the brain … changes that in turn are closely related to the psychological development of children. kids.
Although in the woman’s brain these changes begin to occur at the moment of conception, research indicates that in the father’s brain they occur at a different rate (slower), and a high involvement with the baby is necessary so that are continuous and so that they can come to be equated with those of the mother.
Decrease your testosterone levels
When a man becomes a father, he produces less testosterone (the male sex hormone). This decrease causes an increase in sensitivity and empathy , a consequence that helps the father to become more closely involved with the upbringing of the baby.
Another advantage of this decrease and that also has a very positive effect on relationships with children is that high levels of testosterone block the positive effects of oxytocin and dopamine, two of the main chemicals involved in the bond with their children. baby: the lower the testosterone, the more capacity oxytocin (the so-called “love hormone”) will have to do its job.
There is an increase in oxytocin to generate attachment
Every time the father interacts with the baby (through play or calming him down when he needs it), a kind of “explosion” of oxytocin is generated in both of them, a reaction that increases the feeling of attachment to each other . That is why it is vital to take into account the importance of the bond between the baby and his parents, since the way in which children are raised or cared for in the first years also influences their brain function during the rest of their life.
You may suffer from postpartum depression
There is a reverse side to all these hormonal alterations, since testosterone helps to maintain a good state of mind more constantly and stimulate feelings of pleasure, so a decrease in its levels could trigger postpartum depression in the father.
For this reason, it is very important to inform ourselves about all the changes that our body experiences , since they directly affect our emotional well-being and therefore that of our children.
Some areas of your brain increase in size
One of the most commented studies on changes in the size and density of the brain is the one carried out by the Universities of Denver and Yale, since this was the first time that researchers documented structural changes in the brain of the human parents.
To do this, the brains of 16 new parents were scanned twice. The first took place between 2 and 4 weeks after postpartum and the second 12 to 16 weeks later. When comparing the later scan with the first, the researchers found an increase in the volume of gray matter in several regions of the fathers’ brain , areas that had already been identified as prone to growth in the case of the mothers, and that have a fundamental role in decision-making processes, emotional processing and attachment.
They enjoy better mental health
Research conducted by California State University suggests that parents who are involved in parenting during their first year of life have better mental health. ” Parents who feel competent as parents can generally be more satisfied with their roles and, as a result, have fewer depressive symptoms,” the authors suggest.
In Babies and More | Man’s brain changes when taking care of children
