美国科学60秒 SSS 2012-09-06

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New dads might expect to deal with dirty diapers or a baby's cries in the night. But how about lower testosterone levels? Previous research has shown that fatherhood can indeed cause a man's testosterone to dip. And that may be especially true for dads who sleep next to their babies according to a new study in the Journal¹ PloS One. Researchers studied three hundred and sixty two Filipino fathers of the same age. They took testosterone samples in 2005 and 2009. And they found that dads who slept next to junior had a third less testosterone than before, compared to dads who dozed² alone. The researchers can't be sure that sleeping next to the baby actually causes that decline³. Could be that dads with less testosterone are just more likely to cuddle with the kid. But they say  disruptions in a man's sleep. A baby's cry for example are known to cut testosterone production. Either way, the authors say less testosterone is probably better for baby. Because high levels of hormone⁴ are linked to aggression⁵, risk taking and less sympathy for an infant's cries, which at three in the morning probably won't make mom a happy camper either. 

 

Thanks for the minute for scientific American sixty seconds science. I'm Christopher Intagliata.  

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