Dad Brain

£22.00

Clinical psychologist Darby Saxbe reveals parenthood fundamentally changes men’s brains and biology. Dad brains shrink (to become more efficient), testosterone levels drop (in a good way); men can even experience a form of postpartum depression, and of course their whole sense of meaning and identity can be challenged and transformed. Based on two decades of research and one of the world’s only longitudinal studies of men’s brains as they become fathers, ‘Dad Brain’ takes us from the author’s lab in Los Angeles, to a beachfront neuroimaging centre in Barcelona and a midwife’s office in Stockholm. It explores the different ways that men parent in different societies, how trends in men’s involvement with birth and parenting have shifted over the decades, class-based and racist assumptions about absent fathers, the rise of parenting outside the gender binary, old dads versus young dads, and much, much more.

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Description

A groundbreaking exploration of how fatherhood transforms men’s brains, bodies, health, skills and relationships

In recent years men’s attitudes to fatherhood have changed dramatically. But only now are we learning how profoundly fatherhood changes men’s brains and biology – and the effects these changes have on their health, skills, relationships and sense of purpose.

In Dad Brain, one of the world’s leading researchers of fatherhood, Darby Saxbe, provides a captivating account of this new science, packed with insights into how different approaches to fatherhood affect not only men but the whole family. Among its many revelations are that:

Fathers’ brains shrink and their testosterone drops
Fathers undergo a host of hormonal changes once thought only to affect women
Fathers can suffer post-partum depression but enjoy better long-term health
Fathers’ style of play makes their kids more resilient
Dads who do more housework are generally happier

Above all, Dad Brain shows that men are wired to participate in care just as women are, but that many of these adaptations only come online when fathers invest time into parenthood: the more they do, the more they change for the better. Ultimately it shows a good father is not something you are, it is something you become.

‘Entertaining and fascinating ? a must-read’ Eve Rodsky
‘A wonderful book ? from an accomplished scientist’ Antonio Damasio
‘Masterful, science-packed, offering unique and practical insights’ Daniel J. Siegel

Read a sample here

Additional information

Weight 0.498 kg
Dimensions 24.2 × 16.2 × 3 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

208

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

306.8742 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K