How Paternity Leave Helps Dads’ Brains Adapt to Parenting

being an involved dad creates a “dad brain” that replaces his single-man desires. He’ll experience a decrease in the testosterone previously used in the hunt for sex and recovery after rejection, and an increase in oxytocin emanating from the joys of loving and being loved by an infant who needs him.

John Gray PhD • The Boy Crisis

Paternity leave bolsters family relationships. Among 6,000 couples followed from when their child was a baby until kindergarten age, couples in which fathers took even just a week or two of paternity leave were 26 percent more likely to stay married, compared with couples in which fathers took no leave. Another study found that when fathers took... See more

Opinion | What Paternity Leave Does for a Father’s Brain (Published 2021)

Paternity leave may not just be transformative for fathers, but good for mothers too. In a new study published in The Journal of Child and Family Studies, we measured sleep, stress and depression in couples recruited during their first pregnancy and followed across the first year of their baby’s life. We found that mothers showed better mental... See more