Testosterone and paternity: The dad effect
A few days ago we saw that parents with the arrival of children also undergo hormonal and cognitive changes, the most prominent of which was the decrease in testosterone, the male sex hormone. A study indicates that the decrease in testosterone does not occur equally in all men, depending on the family structure.
In the video we can see a small report about this study carried out in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. Men with different family situations were chosen and it was found that there were different hormonal responses.
Children exert different influences on parental hormones as proven by analyzing saliva samples to check the amount of testosterone in these men:
- Single men who have never had children.
- Men who currently live with their partners.
- Men who have a sporadic visit relationship with their partners, who occasionally see their children and have sex with mothers during these visits.
As we said in the previous post, in several studies Katherine Wynne-Edwards, a professor of biology at Queen's University in Kingston, discovered that the levels of male testosterone hormone in a father fell during the weeks near the birth of his son .
In the report we see that the levels of this male hormone are higher in single men without children. The most surprising perhaps is that the lowest testosterone levels are not available to parents who live with their children as might be expected, but to those who visit them sporadically. Family parents showed average testosterone levels.
Despite the fact that visiting parents sleep an hour longer on average than parents as a family (which should have raised their testosterone levels), they are the ones who suffer a more drastic hormonal decline.
Researchers are still trying to understand why this decrease in paternal testosterone occurs. Alison Fleming, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, discovered that parents with higher levels of prolactin are more alert to a baby's crying, and that those with a lower testosterone level feel more the need to respond to crying.
There is a study that determines that even cradling a baby-shaped doll causes testosterone to drop in man. Most likely, this decrease in testosterone in parentsAs we said, it is because the man feels more willing to care for and take care of his son, instead of having more children.
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