(NewsNation) — The arrival of a baby provokes a neurological response in both the male and female brain, according to multiple studies.
Darby Saxbe, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, has conducted multiple studies using MRI scans to measure changes in the brains of men who became fathers, HuffPost reported. Researchers found that fathers lost brain volume after they became parents.
It’s similar to the loss in female brains when women become mothers, although the loss is less intense than in fathers, HuffPost reports.
Another example of neurological change is that studies show oxytocin, also known as the “love” hormone, increases significantly whenever a man interacts with his new baby.
Also, the more parenting the father does, the lower the levels of their testosterone dip.
“This research highlights that anyone who devotes time to caring for a young child might show transformations in their brain or body. It helps underscore that great parents are ‘made, not born,’” Saxbe told HuffPost.
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