Richard Bribiescas, a professor of anthropology at Yale, just re-upped the "dad bod" debate of 2015 with his new book, How Men Age. Bribiescas argues that men reach peak evolutionary status not in their thriving, more fit 20s, but in their older, dad years. Get it, bros.
In the dad years—children required—men tend to put on weight, getting pudgier as their testosterone levels decrease. Bribiescas says that this lower testosterone actually strengthens a man's immune system while making him more resistant to heart attacks and prostate cancer, and that men with lower resting metabolisms are 50 percent less likely to die than skinnier men.
Beyond longevity, pudgier dads are more attractive to women, Bribiescas argues, because they aren't pursing other men. Instead, they invest more time in their children. This, of course, is all observational, and other studies have come to other conclusions. But why not embrace a little extra padding and a little more time with the family?
And so the "dad bod" debate survives another year.
h/t Newsweek
