Darby Saxbe
@darbysaxbe.bsky.social
13K followers 1.3K following 230 posts
Professor of Psychology @ University of Southern California: neuroendocrinology of close relationships, particularly plasticity across the transition to parenthood. Writing the book _Dad Brain_ for Flatiron Books, about the neurobiology of fatherhood.
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Reposted by Darby Saxbe
rcgd-isr.bsky.social
The RCGD series on the Science of Social Relationships continues Monday with a talk from @darbysaxbe.bsky.social on the transition to fatherhood. The talk will review studies on hormone and brain changes across the transition to parenthood in first-time human fathers. buff.ly/92KtRNS
The Science of Social Relationships
RCGD fall 2025 SEMINAR SERIES
ISR Thompson 1430 | Mondays 3:30 to 5
Darby Saxbe | 09.29.25

The Transition to Fatherhood as a Window for Neural, Hormonal, and Psychological Remodeling
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
New essay today about how parents of the olden days were actually TERRIBLE, the phenomenon of "baby farming," and why intensive parenting is a modern invention. darbysaxbe.substack.com/p/the-bad-pa...
Terrible parents of yore
How intensive parenting became an aspirational status symbol
darbysaxbe.substack.com
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
Super cool. I'm curious if the salience network changes track with perceived hunger or cravings, or with eating behaviors.
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
So I'm trying to interpret - would you say that salience network connectivity gets more diffuse and perhaps signals better top down regulation of interoceptive signals??
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
Cool! What is the intervention?
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
Really important and sobering analysis
jeremymberg.bsky.social
So... I did some analysis of grants that did receive noncompetitive renewals.

In particular, I looked a those award where the title of the grant changed.

Warning: The results are just what I expected, but oooph...

1/4
a man with his eyes closed is wearing a plaid shirt and a blue jacket .
ALT: a man with his eyes closed is wearing a plaid shirt and a blue jacket .
media.tenor.com
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
The party of “viewpoint diversity” and “campus free speech” is back at it
jessicacalarco.com
Remind me again which party spent the last decade railing against so-called cancel culture?
jessicacalarco.com
Update: The Professor was fired, the Dean and Department Chair who (rightfully) defended her were removed from their positions, and every course at the University is now being subjected to a state audit.

archive.ph/2025.09.10-0...
Reposted by Darby Saxbe
agvacca.bsky.social
Our new study in Emotion!

Parents report higher satisfaction yet lower daily happiness- the 'parenting paradox'. So in the transition to parenthood, how do we study well-being? We studied how new fathers adapt by examining meaning/purpose and brain connectivity.
psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?d...
APA PsycNet
psycnet.apa.org
Reposted by Darby Saxbe
elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
I often talk about the fact that MAGA does not access the same news as the left wing. I present to you Exhibit A.

Dr. Daskalakis’ resignation letter excoriated RFK Jr. and shared that RFK Jr. was lying to the public, manipulating data, and ordering unethical actions.

This what Fox News served.
Screenshot from Fox News that says 

CDC official includes
'pregnant people' terminology and pronouns in resignation letter
Daskalakis accused President Trump's administration of attempting 'to erase transgender populations'
By Alex Nitzberg • Fox News
Published August 28, 2025 1:47pm EDT
Reposted by Darby Saxbe
nschwarz.bsky.social
Reps and Dems are living in different societies...
Report linked in comments.
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
Thank you for reading!
Reposted by Darby Saxbe
sociologian.bsky.social
This is a wild ride of a read for all kinds of reasons. Researchers and people who read about research on the internet should all find some valuable stuff in here. The incidental note that THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF OBJECTS ON A TYPICAL FRIDGE IS 55 is just the icing on the cake for me.
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
This week I wrote about how my research on stress, cortisol, and clutter got misinterpreted by the media and ended up in the AI slop factory. darbysaxbe.substack.com/p/cogsplaine...
I met my AI doppelganger and it got weird
How my clutter cortisol study took on a life of its own
darbysaxbe.substack.com
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
Thank you so much for reading! And so glad you appreciated the fridge magnet data, too
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
This week I wrote about how my research on stress, cortisol, and clutter got misinterpreted by the media and ended up in the AI slop factory. darbysaxbe.substack.com/p/cogsplaine...
I met my AI doppelganger and it got weird
How my clutter cortisol study took on a life of its own
darbysaxbe.substack.com
Reposted by Darby Saxbe
kqedforum.bsky.social
🎙️ON AIR:

@faith-hill.bsky.social, Fatherhood and Adolescent Services' Ignacio Ferrey, @menhavingbabies.bsky.social's Ron Poole-Dayan, @darbysaxbe.bsky.social and therapist Ken Epstein on single fatherhood.

❓ Are you a single dad or were you raised by one? What's your story?

📻 Listen:
Single Fathers Are a Growing, But Often Invisible, Demographic | KQED
We look at the experience of single fatherhood and hear from you: are you a single dad or were you raised by one? What's your story?
buff.ly
Reposted by Darby Saxbe
kqedforum.bsky.social
TUE at 9AM:

@faith-hill.bsky.social, Fatherhood and Adolescent Services' Ignacio Ferrey, @menhavingbabies.bsky.social's Ron Poole-Dayan, @darbysaxbe.bsky.social and therapist Ken Epstein on the experience of single fatherhood.

❓ Are you a single dad or were you raised by one? What's your story?
The Growing Cohort of Single Dads by Choice
For some men, fatherhood is an answer to questions about modern masculinity.
buff.ly
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
Yes I totally agree re: the lived experience of fathers! And I understand the quibble with the headline for sure.
darbysaxbe.bsky.social
Yes it's actually good that we have fMRI to know this, because men's parental bond has been understudied & essentialist narratives continue to insist that only women have "maternal instinct." Showing how the male brain responds to infant stimuli helps us appreciate human adaptations to fatherhood!
nbkroemer.bsky.social
Whew, glad we have fMRI to know this.
psypost.bsky.social
First-time fathers show distinct brain responses to their own babies
Reposted by Darby Saxbe
rcgd-isr.bsky.social
👀 New "dad brain" research from @darbysaxbe.bsky.social; Darby Saxbe will join RCGD's fall seminar series on the science of social relationships-- with a talk on the transition to fatherhood 9/29. Check out the series that kicks off next week! rcgd.isr.umich.edu/news-events/...