Fathers, Physiology, and Family Systems: Implications for Parent/Child Well-Being

In humans, relatively little is known about how paternal hormones underlie male behavior within family systems and the implications for parent/child well-being. Recently, Gettler’s prospective studies revealed an “Endocrinology of Fatherhood” -decreased testosterone, increased prolactin- previously documented in other taxa with evolved paternal care. In this way natural selection may have shaped male biology during hominin evolution, increasing male efficacy as partners and parents.