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Speaking of Psychology

“Dad brain”: How becoming a parent changes the brain, with Darby Saxbe, PhD

Speaking of Psychology

Kim Mills

Health & Fitness, Life Sciences, Science, Mental Health

4.3781 Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Becoming a parent is a huge life transition. Now, researchers are finding evidence that parenthood actually changes the brain – and these changes happen to fathers as well as to mothers. Darby Saxbe, PhD, talks about the hormonal and brain shifts that occur in new moms and dads; the advantages and risks these changes confer; why paternity leave matters; and how to support people as they become parents. Take our listener survey at https://at.apa.org/SoPsurvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Before we get started today, I'd like to take a moment to ask you to fill out our listener's survey.

0:06.2

We'd like to learn more about you and what you think of speaking of psychology.

0:10.9

So if you would, please go to at.a.a.org slash sop survey.

0:18.7

That's at.a.apa.org slash S-O-P-Survey. Thank you. We really appreciate it.

0:27.7

Now, on to the episode. Okay, everyone, so look at the numbers from Q-1, and you'll see that there's a sharp...

0:33.6

Alex? Oh, I think you're frozen. And that's why it's crucial that we mean.

0:38.6

E, that sounded important.

0:40.7

Because if we don't act now...

0:42.7

We've lost him.

0:44.2

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0:48.4

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0:51.5

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0:54.7

And he's back.

0:56.1

So I hope that was all clear.

0:57.4

To verify I see E.cote.org.

0:59.0

For many new parents, the first weeks and months after their baby is born are a time of deep bonding and bewildering changes between sleepless nights, scrambled schedules, and learning to meet the needs of a tiny infant,

1:15.1

many new fathers and mothers feel like their world has been turned upside down overnight.

1:20.2

Now it turns out those changes may go even deeper than parents realize.

1:25.1

In recent years, scientists have found evidence that becoming a parent can

1:28.9

change the structure and function of a person's brain. And crucially, these changes happen to fathers

1:34.9

as well as to mothers. So how does parenthood change us? What brain hormonal and other shifts occur in new

1:42.7

moms and dads? Do these changes look different

...

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