Researchers know pregnant moms’ brains change in ways that seem to help with caring for a baby. Now they've ID'd changes in new dads’ brains too.
The time fathers devote to child care every week has tripled over the past 50 years in the United States. The increase in fathers’ involvement in child rearing is even steeper in countries that have expanded paid paternity leave or created incentives for fathers to take leave, such as Germany, Spain, Sweden and Iceland. And a growing body of research finds that children with engaged fathers do better on a range of outcomes, including physical health and cognitive performance.
Pregancy’s effect on a new mom’s brainRecent research has found compelling evidence that pregnancy can enhance neuroplasticity, or remodeling, in the structures of a woman’s brain. Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have identified large-scale changes in the anatomy of women’s brains from before to after pregnancy.
But what about fathers? They do not experience pregnancy directly, but may take care of the new baby, too. Scientists are interested in what spending more time with a newborn means for a father’s brain. Cavan Images via Getty Images It’s not clear yet whether simply spending more time parenting changes fathers’ brains or the changes occur in men who are more motivated to spend time parenting. AJ_Watt/E+ via Getty Images
This finding raises the question of whether family policies that boost how much time dads spend on infant care during the early postpartum period may help support the development of the fathering brain. On the flip side, perhaps men who show more remodeling of the brain and hormones are also more motivated to participate in hands-on care.
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