Being a father transforms your brain?

• May 6, 2024

Have a son not only transforms the life of a couple and changes their way of thinking, but the very fact of being a parent triggers a series of changes that lead to a reprogramming and renewal in the brain, as confirmed by a series of scientific studies.

Beyond the renowned innate bond between a mother and her son , apparently they are the challenges of taking care of the child responsible for a series of changes in that person at the time of being a father.

Among the changes in brain structure related to maternity is the increase of gray matter in areas associated with childcare , according to an investigation of the neuroscientists Elizabeth Meyer and Craig Kinsley , published in the magazine Mind and brain. 

Changes in the maternal brain prepare women to face threats; At the same time, audacity also increases in the search for food and in situations of danger.

Although there is a slight loss of mental acuity, the maternity not only causes this type of positive neurological alterations in women, because it has also been shown that the brain improves in many aspects in various animal species.

On the other hand, neuroscientist Brian Mossop explains that at the moment of being a father, the brain of a man undergoes a neuronal renewal for the benefit of his son.

In this sense, the brain of the father creates supplementary neurons and experiences changes after the birth of a child, so that the mutual influence generates benefits for both.

In this regard, the specialist details that the presence of the father figure from birth can influence the development of subsequent healthy behaviors.

This is due to the fact that a child's brain is created as it tries to make sense of the world around it, so that initial experiences are crucial for their health.

The first days after the birth , the brain resembles a sponge that is soaked in its sensory environment, so being a parent has the implicit task of making sense of the child's inner and outer world, transforming and renewing, in turn, its own brain.