Dads’ brains change too — and it appears that these changes have an impact on their sleep and mental health. Saxbe and her fellow researchers found that fathers lost brain volume — their brains grew smaller — after they became parents. It’s important to note that a loss of brain volume, which sounds negative, doesn’t correspond with a loss of brain function, or of cognitive decline. A loss in brain volume isn’t the only physiological change that dads who engage in caregiving undergo. Advertisement“Prolactin is commonly elevated in vertebrate fathers who help care for their young, suggesting it often helps support fathers’ care,” Gettler said.

Source: Huffington Post September 28, 2025 12:18 UTC