A study shows a link between new dads and testosterone. The Northwestern University study found that fathers, like mothers, are naturally inclined to take care of their children.
The study, which was published on Monday, found testosterone levels in men sharply decline when they become fathers, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The reduction of testosterone can steer males away from competing for a mate and towards spending more time on the responsibilities of fatherhood, the study says.
"Raising human offspring is such an effort that it is cooperative by necessity, and our study shows that human fathers are biologically wired to help with the job," said Christopher Kuzawa, Northwestern University anthropologist and co-author of the study, along with Ph.D. student Lee Gettler.
"The classic idea is that men were the hunters and providers, and the females evolved to raise the children," Kuzawa, said to WebMD. "I think our study shows pretty clearly that men are also wired for their role as fathers."
The study followed 624 childless men in the Philippines in their early 20s into fatherhood, UPI.com reported.
Gettler said he and Kuzawa found "the men who started with high testosterone were more likely to become fathers." Then, after their children were born, "their testosterone went down substantially."
