How do men change when they become fathers?

When a couple welcomes a new member of the family, the parents’ lives undergo some changes. The joy that comes with having a child, as all fathers and mothers claim, is immense. A new responsibility lies ahead; the raising of a sprout. On the other hand, the lack of sleep at night and a more exclusive dedication to the baby is also known. Definitely, The lives of both members of the couple change with the arrival of a child, but how does it affect the male parents?

Normally, we find studies on how motherhood affects women while men are relegated to the background in research of this type. This was understandable, perhaps, a few decades ago but today it no longer makes much sense to continue confining this plot of knowledge due to lack of information.

What does the research contribute in this regard?

So the Universities of Yale and Denver (both in the United States) carried out an interesting study. The results showed how men’s brains change once their first child is born.. To do this, a brain scan was performed on a group of 16 new parents before the first month after the birth of their first-born. After 3 to 4 months, a second examination was carried out on these young parents, whose average age was 36 years.

Previous research had indicated that neural activity increased in parents when their children were in front of them. This is because at that moment they have to take charge of everything that happens to them; The responsibility of raising a baby puts the brain on alert.
When a man or woman becomes a parent, their brains begin to be more alert, no matter where they are. In the case of the mother, it is more understandable since during the baby’s first weeks she is next to her and is in charge of feeding him, changing him, assisting him, etc. But in the case of fathers, it is not so obvious, especially since the vast majority of them have to return to work within a few days of the birth of the child.

Changes at the brain level

The importance of these new investigations lies in the fact that It is the first time that structural changes have been documented in the brains of parents not being close to their little ones.

When the second scan was performed it was found that the volume of Gray matter had increased in relation to the first examination, that is, before the first month of becoming parents. The areas that expanded participate in various functions: reward, hormonal control, emotional process, memory and decision making…

This research, in turn, stated that the volunteers who underwent the test experienced a reduction in certain regions of the brain. The areas that were reduced are those that are activated by “disconnecting” from the outside world. This means that attention span increases as soon as the responsibility of being parents appears.

Other regions in which gray matter was reduced were those related to anxiety. In the last days of pregnancy, men, like women, show great “acceleration” due to the proximity of the event. However, when the child is born, this seems to disappear and they both calm down. It is true that, later, other issues such as occupation or uncertainty appear, but that is a separate topic.

Why do these changes occur?

We can only refer to what scientific studies say or analyze it from a sociological point of view. It is true that men are now more involved in raising children and that can be related to a change at the brain level, for example.

Unlike what happened in previous generations, men now take more care of babies. They change them, feed them, make them sleep, take them to the park, accompany them to the pediatrician, stay with them when the mother goes shopping, etc. This didn’t happen 20 or 30 years ago.

This has also generated, for example, postpartum depression in men. This is a disorder that was thought to be only reserved for women, but fathers also suffer from it. Changes in parenting style have meant that what may seem only characteristic of women is also suffered by men.

Final reflection

The reason for this feeling is still not well understood, as increasing certain parts of the brain is supposed to eliminate depression and anxiety. As we know, when it comes to the mind, it is as if we had a “box of surprises” in front of us. Definitely, the brain is still a great unknown to us. But thanks to unstoppable scientific research we are getting to know it little by little.

We must recognize that The generational advance in parental issues is immense. And the fact is that, although they do not have their children inside for 9 months, They know the importance of a father’s protection, love and affection; because everyone, before being parents, has been children.

Equality in raising children has influenced both members of the couple, which has caused changes at the brain level to also take center stage in men. Thus, More and more will be known about how being a father affects men at a brain level and not just at a behavioral level.