How Modern Fatherhood Is Changing Men’s Brains
6/9/20261 hr 4 min
Humans are unusual dads. Across the animal kingdom, dads are often absent from child-rearing altogether. But among humans, fatherhood takes many forms, and in the last half century, it has changed dramatically. College-educated American fathers now spend nearly four times as much time caring for their children as they did in the 1960s. And according to new research, this new type of fatherhood doesn't just change a man's schedule or priorities—it can literally change his brain. Today, Derek talks with USC psychologist Darby Saxbe, author of 'Dad Brain,' about the science of modern fatherhood. They discuss how active parenting affects men's psychology and how changing expectations around fatherhood are reshaping families and men themselves. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek ThompsonGuest: Darby SaxbeProducer: Devon BaroldiAdditional Production Support: Ben Glicksman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Derek Thompson· Host0:35
You can learn a surprising amount about the world by just watching Disney movies. If you've seen Bambi or Dumbo, you know those are two movies about mammals separated from their mothers. Their mothers, you might think. Where are the dads in this picture? Well, the answer is basically nowhere, that's where. Bambi's father gets a few minutes of screen time, and we never meet Dumbo's father at all. This representation of elephant dads isn't mean, it's accurate. Active fathers are rare among mammals. In fact, the word mammal is itself a mother-centric term. It shares a root with mammary, since a defining feature is the milk of the mother. Across the mammal kingdom, males care for their young in less than 10% of species. But now take another movie, Pixar's