Recent studies show fathers' brains change after bringing home a new baby

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Washington Post journalist Richard Sima about how fathers' brains change after bringing home a new baby. AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: There's lots of evidence out there that mothers' brains change and adapt during pregnancy and after childbirth. Now recent studies show that something similar happens in fathers' brains after they've had a child. Richard Sima is a neuroscientist turned science journalist. He writes The Washington Post's Brain Matters column and joins me now to explain. Before we get started, I hear you are a new father. Happy Father's Day. RICHARD SIMA: (Laughter) Thank you. And it's great to be here. RASCOE: So break this down for me. Like, how does the brain change once someone becomes a father? SIMA: Yeah. As you mentioned, it's very similar to what happens in a mother's brain. We also have some shrinkage of the brain, but don't worry. Shrinkage is not bad in this scenario because it's actually a way of our brains adapting and sculpting out what connections are needed. The shrinkage, researchers find, happen in these mentalizing regions of the brain, which help us really connect with and figure out what another person is thinking and feeling and wanting. And that's kind of what you want with a newborn. You're like, what is this new little human? What do they need from me right now? And this shrinkage is associated with people being able to adapt to parenthood, to fatherhood better. …