Evolution provides a critical foundation for proposing why men’s neurobiological and hormonal systems (testosterone) would have the functional capacity to respond to certain forms of partnering and parenting

Gettler L.T. (2020) Exploring Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Fatherhood and Paternal Biology: Testosterone as an Exemplar. In: Fitzgerald H.E., von Klitzing K., Cabrera N.J., Scarano de Mendonça J., Skjøthaug T. (eds) Handbook of Fathers and Child Development. Springer, Oct 2 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51027-5_10

Abstract: Fathers’ roles vary greatly within and across cultures. Reflecting human biological plasticity, these diverse forms of fathering are expressed through psychobiological mechanisms. In this chapter, I focus on testosterone as one of the key and widely studied mechanisms relevant to the biology of fatherhood in humans and other species. I highlight the ways that evolutionary framing provides a critical foundation for proposing why men’s neurobiological and hormonal systems would have the functional capacity to respond to certain forms of partnering and parenting. I also review the importance of cultural variation in fatherhood and family life for studying the plausible range of possibilities for parental physiology in contemporary family systems.

Keywords: Biological plasticity Testosterone Evolutional perspectives on fathering Parental investment theory Cooperative breeding