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Dad Brain

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What to expect

A groundbreaking exploration of how fatherhood transforms men’s brains, bodies, health, skills and relationships

In recent years men’s attitudes to fatherhood have changed dramatically. But only now are we learning how profoundly fatherhood changes men’s brains and biology – and the effects these changes have on their health, skills, relationships and sense of purpose.

In Dad Brain, one of the world’s leading researchers of fatherhood, Darby Saxbe, provides a captivating account of this new science, packed with insights into how different approaches to fatherhood affect not only men but the whole family. Among its many revelations are that:

• Fathers’ brains shrink and their testosterone drops
• Fathers undergo a host of hormonal changes once thought only to affect women
• Fathers can suffer post-partum depression but enjoy better long-term health
• Fathers’ style of play makes their kids more resilient
• Dads who do more housework are generally happier

Above all, Dad Brain shows that men are wired to participate in care just as women are, but that many of these adaptations only come online when fathers invest time into parenthood: the more they do, the more they change for the better. Ultimately it shows a good father is not something you are, it is something you become.

‘Entertaining and fascinating … a must-read’ Eve Rodsky
‘A wonderful book … from an accomplished scientist’ Antonio Damasio
‘Masterful, science-packed, offering unique and practical insights’ Daniel J. Siegel

© Darby Saxbe 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

Darby Saxbe’s deeply researched and entertaining book fills a crucial gap in our understanding . . . with a refreshing new take on fatherhood through the lens of neurology and hormones . . . a call to appreciate fathers and to bust the stereotypes of fathers as clueless or uncaring . . . Ultimately, [Saxbe’s] cause is not just to explain the new science of the Dad brain: she also urges us to think more broadly about masculinity
Financial Times
A compelling exploration of fatherhood, showing why it is both crucial and too often overlooked . . . many unexpected details . . . Saxbe has the expertise and makes a strong case . . . interesting, well-written and rigorous . . . Dads deserve attention too, Saxbe convincingly argues. This book is for fathers and anyone who cares about them
New Scientist
Wonderful . . . Dad Brain is probably the most I have related to anything I have watched, listened to or read since . . . I met my own amazing, screaming, teeny-tiny baby daughter . . . I like Saxbe's book chiefly because it tells us why becoming a dad is so incredibly good for you – and, specifically, your brain
Independent
Saxbe wants to debunk the stereotype that parenting does not come naturally to men and . . . takes particular aim at the myth that they “lack the biology for it” . . . [She shows that] intention and hands-on time with a child mean that a father’s level of involvement – and the biology that influences how good a dad they are – can be turned up or down like a dial
Sunday Times
This is the difference that is at the core of Saxbe’s fascinating book. Motherhood is obligatory. You can’t escape a kid that is inside you. Fatherhood, though? It is “facultative”. It’s “an optional but very useful adaptation”. And when you choose that option, when you eschew the sports car and start listening to the contractions again, your body responds in more subtle — but no less significant — ways. That day, in a biological as well as psychological sense, [you] become a dad
The Times
So impressive… Society needs men to be good fathers. It starts with a willingness, as Saxbe puts it, “to debunk outdated stereotypes that paint dads as lazy, clueless, or uncaring”. Dad Brain does that brilliantly
Critic
[An] accessible account of the latest science of fatherhood . . . fun . . . interesting . . . valuable
Literary Review
In this entertaining and fascinating book, Darby Saxbe unpacks how fatherhood transforms men's lives, from their brains to their careers. It's a must-read for everyone who values the importance of dads
Eve Rodsky, author of Fair Play
A wonderful book about the biology of fatherhood and an important text about parenthood from an accomplished scientist
Antonio Damasio, author of Descartes' Error
An eye-opening exploration of fatherhood and its impact on a child’s life – and on a partnership, a family and society at large
Aliza Pressman, author of The Five Principles of Parenting
Author Darby Saxbe
Narrator Yael Rizowy, Darby Saxbe
Duration 9 hours and 36 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529970586
Format Audiobook
Publisher Random House
Genre Family psychology, Gender studies: men and boys, Human biology, Men’s health, Parenting: advice and issues
Availability AU, GB, IE

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