Riwa
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- Oct 11, 2007
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The first large study measuring testosterone in men when they were single and childless and several years after they had children says that, most male hormones takes a dive after a man becomes a parent. And the more he gets involved in caring for his children changing diapers, jiggling the boy or girl on his knee, reading "Goodnight Moon" for the umpteenth time the lower his testosterone drops.
"The real take-home message," said Peter Ellison, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard who was not involved in the study, is that "male parental care is important. Its important enough that its actually shaped the physiology of men". "My hope would be that this kind of research has an impact on the American male. It would make them realize that were meant to be active fathers and participate in the care of our offspring."
The study, experts say, suggests that mens bodies evolved hormonal systems that helped them commit to their families once children were born. It also suggests that mens behavior can affect hormonal signals their bodies send, not just that hormones influence behavior. And, experts say, it underscores that mothers were meant to have child care help.
"It could almost be demonized, like, Oh my God, fathers, dont take care of your kids because your testosterone will drop way down, " said Lee Gettler, an anthropologist at Northwestern University and co-author of the study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "But this should be viewed as, Oh its great, women arent the only ones biologically adapted to be parents."
"A dad with lower testosterone is maybe a little more sensitive to cues from his child, and maybe hes a little less sensitive to cues from a woman he meets at a restaurant," said Peter Gray, an anthropologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has conducted unrelated research
"The real take-home message," said Peter Ellison, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard who was not involved in the study, is that "male parental care is important. Its important enough that its actually shaped the physiology of men". "My hope would be that this kind of research has an impact on the American male. It would make them realize that were meant to be active fathers and participate in the care of our offspring."
The study, experts say, suggests that mens bodies evolved hormonal systems that helped them commit to their families once children were born. It also suggests that mens behavior can affect hormonal signals their bodies send, not just that hormones influence behavior. And, experts say, it underscores that mothers were meant to have child care help.
"It could almost be demonized, like, Oh my God, fathers, dont take care of your kids because your testosterone will drop way down, " said Lee Gettler, an anthropologist at Northwestern University and co-author of the study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "But this should be viewed as, Oh its great, women arent the only ones biologically adapted to be parents."
"A dad with lower testosterone is maybe a little more sensitive to cues from his child, and maybe hes a little less sensitive to cues from a woman he meets at a restaurant," said Peter Gray, an anthropologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has conducted unrelated research
