The Science of Dad Brain: How Fatherhood Changes Men Forever
6/19/202651 min
Postpartum depression isn't just for moms. Dr. Darby Saxbe explores why new dads struggle, identifies the often unrecognized signs, and demystifies the science of paternal mental health.
Did you know that "dad brain" is a scientifically proven biological shift? Recent brain science shows that fatherhood literally changes and rewires men's brains--but unlike maternal shifts, a father's brain adapts primarily through the lived experience of hands-on caregiving. In this episode of Raising Good Humans, world-renowned researcher Dr. Darby Saxbe joins host Dr. Aliza Pressman to expose the hidden mental health crisis in new dads that modern culture completely ignores.
🦋We discuss:
- The neuroscience of fatherhood: How caregiving rewires a dad's brain to filter out distractions and focus on the baby.
- Postpartum depression in men: What the signs look like and why it so often goes unrecognized.
- "Maternal gatekeeping": How well-meaning moms accidentally shut dads out of the process.
- The truth about paternity leave and why modern isolation is breaking the "village."
- A fascinating look at why parenting is neuroprotective (and linked to a younger-looking brain later in life).
We also tackle a critical question: How much of father absence is actually driven by untreated perinatal mental health problems? Tune into this paradigm-shifting conversation on fatherhood and mental health.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDarby Saxbe· Guest0:00
We see this in the States. Like, even when a man has paid paternity leave, he doesn't take it.
Speaker 20:06
Right.
Darby Saxbe· Guest0:06
Or he takes the absolute minimum, and we still have this kind of ideal worker expectation. So I think that's changing a lot. Like, if you ask young men, "What's important to you, and what are you looking for in a career?" Contrary to what the manosphere is saying, I think a lot of Gen Z men are actually saying, "I want flexibility. I wanna be home with my kids." So they're kind of voting with their feet. Like, I think our, our approach to career has changed a lot- Mm-hmm ... because remote work, and, you know, we... Like, the younger generations are experiencing work very differently than I think our generation did.
Speaker 20:44
Yeah.
Darby Saxbe· Guest0:45
And so I think that's kinda good, and that is also changing how dads show up, 'cause if you're home and not commuting, you have a whole different relationship with dinner time- Yeah ... you know?
Speaker 20:57
Happy Father's Day weekend. I wanted to share this very special episode with Professor Darby Saxbe, author of the new book Dad Brain: How Fatherhood Shapes Men's Lives, because it does, and there are a lot of fathers here today and people who are around fathers a lot. So send this to a father that you love, and happy Father's Day. [upbeat music] I'm Dr. Lisa Pressman, developmental psychologist, New York Times best-selling author, associate clinical professor at Icahn School of Medicine, and