Being a father changes the brain of man
Having a child is something that you change. This phrase goes beyond the turn that takes the life of people bringing a child to the world: more spending, time dedicated to the little ones, new experiences, etc. This transformation goes far beyond the day to day of people who decide to become parents and even their interior is altered after the arrival of the baby.
In fact, the brain of man changes from the moment of birth. A discovery made by the anthropologist James Rilling from Emory University in the United States. This researcher has tried to relate the arrival of a child and the change that can occur in the brain of the father before this event.
Increase of oxytocin
Rilling began his research with a group of 30 parents of small children. These participants were separated into two groups. The first was given several doses of oxytocin, while the second was given vasopressin, a hormone related to interpersonal relationships.
Subsequently, both groups underwent several brain scans while they were shown images of their children or saw images of other children. In the case of parents who received oxytocin, the areas related to empathy were activated and the fact of thinking about their children was already shown as a reward that made the man feel happier and fulfilled.
Rilling's team stresses the fact that being a father transforms to man and makes men improve their social behaviors thanks to fatherhood. Spending time with a child is something that makes these people happy, which increases their levels of oxytocin and improves their social skills.
Rilling points out that it is interesting to see how fatherhood influences the brain of parents and how spending time with their children or remembering them makes them segregate more oxytocin. Thanks to this hormone the behavior of these people improves in their day to day making them more empathetic with those around them.
The brain of the mother
Not only does the father's brain change. The mother also experiences several changes during the pregnancy. This was demonstrated by a group of researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and of the Mar Institute of Medical Research. This group of professionals followed for five years a group of first-time moms and women who had never given birth.
The results of the study showed a symmetric reduction in gray matter volume in the anterior and posterior cortical midline, as well as in specific sections of the prefrontal and temporal cortex in pregnant women. These zones form a Map which coincides, to a large extent, with a network that neuroscientists associate with the processes involved in social relationships.
That is, first-time mothers eliminate parts of their brain focused on more idlers so that their ability to concentrate increases with pregnancy. As the researchers indicate, this alteration could be a mechanism that the woman's body has to adapt to the challenge of motherhood. In short, women experience an accelerated maturation of their personality during pregnancy.
Damián Montero
