Science Confirms: Dads’ Brains Shrink, But Their Love (and Craziness) Grows

Recent studies show that dads actively raising their kids’ brains are, in fact, getting smaller! No jokes. According to Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D., shrinkage happens in the frontal lobes — parts of the brain involved in memory, impulse control, emotions, and social interactions (Healthline, 2020) (1). 

Cleveland Clinic adds that dad’s parietal lobes also shrink, a part of the brain that gives your pops a sense of direction (2). Meanwhile, James K Rillingis, professor and department chair of anthropology at Emory College, points out that men, when they become dads, suffer a marked loss of testosterone, influencing their sex drive, mood, and changes in muscle and fat ratios (Aeon, 2020) (3). 

Dorky Dads on Vacay: Why Teens Would Rather Stay Home

Dads seem to get a kick out of embarrassing their children. In fact, some fathers suffer from chronic EPS or “embarrassing parent syndrome,” as brilliantly coined by Taylor Herring PR Agency (4). 

Adding to the notion, in 2023, Easyjet surveyed a thousand teens about their holiday experiences with their families (5). You don't need to ask who embarrasses them the most — it was their dads! 

Topping the red list were pops’ dance moves, loud complaining, and pigging out at the buffet — things any teen can relate to. Almost 50 percent of the teens surveyed couldn’t remember a holiday without their dad them to squirm in shame. 

Funnily enough, over 50 percent of the fathers quizzed in the same survey reckoned they were pretty “cool” on family vacations. It also comes as no surprise that 49 percent of the dads reckoned embarrassing their kids was a “duty of fatherhood!”

When Scary Dads Meet Their Daughter’s Boyfriends

Dads are so enchanted with their little princesses that they are a menace to any boys that stray into their daughters’ lives. Some evolutionary psychologists suggest that this may be a genetic throwback. 

According to a 2013 feature by Bristol University, our male ancestors battled with their daughters’ potential mates because a bad partner would strain the family’s resources (6).

Not much has changed today. When your little angel brings home some deadbeat poet or, worse, a DJ, they meet them with the “dad stare.” It’s understandable; dads want someone to look after their daughter. The problem is girls are more interested in a guy’s sense of humor, says Gwendolyn Seidman, Ph.D. in a 2019 feature for Psychology Today (7). 

Dads’ should be aware of the Romeo and Juliet effect, a psychological phenomenon where parental opposition to a romantic relationship increases the intensity and attraction between the couple (The Journal of Social Psychology, 2014) (8). In other words, if fathers hate their daughter’s boyfriend — they will like him even more. 

Being a “scary” dad will also strain your relationship with your kid. So stop being scary and trying to make your girl’s date squirm — you might be stoking the flames!

Dad Humor: A Long History of Inducing Eye-Rolls

Most people would describe their father’s jokes as a series of painful plays on words that cause their eyes to roll back. It’s easy for everyone to put down "pop's jokes" as just downright annoying, but you’ll be surprised at what the experts say. 

Marc Hye-Knudsen suggests this irritating dad trait is essential for a youngster’s development and can help a child grow up (The British Psychology Society, 2023) (9). Dad jokes push their developing kids’ boundaries without overt bullying and teach them resilience in the big bad world. 

Dad jokes aren't new. In 1987, Jim Kalbaugh posted an article in the Gettysburg Times urging his readers to “respect and cherish” dad jokes (10). He must have been a dad because he called the corny jokes "a great tradition worth preserving.”

Historically, corny jokes have a long history, dating back to 1900 AD when a Sumerian recorded a proverb about a woman farting on her husband’s lap (Reuters, 2008) (11). 

Dad jokes are found not only in the West. The Japanese have their own version of “oyaji gyagu,” which roughly translates to “old men’s jokes.” The Danish also have their version of dad jokes called “onkel humor” or uncle humor. 

References

1. Seladi-Schulman, J. “Frontal Lobe Function, Location in Brain, Damage, More.” Healthline, April 20, 2020. | https://www.healthline.com/health/frontal-lobe#:~:text=As+a+whole%2C+the+frontal
2. Cleveland Clinic. Parietal Lobe: What It Is, Function, Location and Damage, Cleveland Clinic, January 08, 2023. | https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24628-parietal-lobe
3. James K Rilling. “The biology of dads.” Aeon, November 17, 2020. | https://aeon.co/essays/how-raising-children-can-change-a-fathers-brain
4. Herring, T. “Prone To Dad Dancing? You may have EPS (Embarrassing Parents Syndrome)” Taylor Herring, July 22, 2015. | https://www.taylorherring.com/prone-to-dad-dancing-you-may-have-eps-embarrasing-parents-syndrome/
5. Easyjet Holidays “EasyJet Holidays launches the world’s first in-hotel ‘Dad’s Club.’” August 15, 2023. | https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/media,-centre/press-releases/dads-club
6. Mascaro, J., Rentscher, K., Hackett, P., Mehl, M., and Rilling, J. “Child Gender Influences Paternal Behavior, Language, and Brain Function.” Behavioral Neuroscience, 2017. | https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bne-bne0000199.pdf
7. University of Bristol. Why do some parents think your partner isn’t good enough? September 18, 2013. | https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2013/9750.html
8. Seidman PHD, G. “Romeo and Juliet, Do Your Parents Approve of the Relationship?” Psychology Today, June 1, 2019. | https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/close-encounters/201906/romeo-juliet-do-your-parents-approve-of-the-relationship
9. Sinclair, H. C., Hood, K. B., and Wright, B. L. (2014). “Revisiting the Romeo and Juliet Effect.” Journal of Social Psychology, January 01, 2014. |  https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000181
10. Hye-Knudsen, Marc "Dad jokes? That’s the way eye roll” The British Psychological Society, March 14, 2023. | https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/dad-jokes-thats-way-eye-roll
11. Jim Kalbaugh. Gettysburg Times Newspaper Archives, June 20, 1987. | https://newspaperarchive.com/gettysburg-times-jun-20-1987-p-5/
12. “The world’s oldest joke traced back to 1900 BC." Reuters, July 31, 2008 | https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/worlds-oldest-joke-traced-back-to-1900-bc-idUSKUA147851/