464. Dad Brain with Darby Saxbe

The idea that fatherhood is a biological and psychological transformation—driven by hormonal shifts, brain changes, and adaptive behaviors—challenges the outdated myth that men are naturally less equipped for caregiving. Dr. Darby Saxbe, a clinical psychologist and researcher at USC, argues in her book *Dad Brain* that men’s brains and bodies are biologically primed for fatherhood, with testosterone naturally dropping before and after birth, mirroring changes in mothers. This 'facultative adaptation' allows men to step in and out of caregiving roles depending on context, making fatherhood flexible and resilient. Saxbe reveals that a father’s presence during labor can reduce birth complications, and that postpartum depression in dads—often masked by irritability or workaholism—is real and underdiagnosed. She also highlights how involved fatherhood benefits children’s development, emotional regulation, and peer competence, while also healing trauma in fathers with difficult pasts. Despite progress, a cultural backlash toward traditional gender roles and corporate retreats from paternity leave threaten this momentum. Saxbe calls for policy changes like Norway’s 'use-it-or-lose-it' paternity leave and greater societal recognition that fatherhood is not a trait but a practice built through experience and support.