The Surprising Health Benefit Of Looking Like Your Father

Are you constantly told that you’re the spitting image of your old man? Well, that could have had some significant implications for your health. New research has found that babies who resemble their fathers at birth are healthier a year on.

The study – published in the Journal of Health Economics – followed 715 families in which a baby lived with only their mother for over a year. The infants that looked like their father (according to both parents) had ‘significantly more favourable health conditions’ compared to children who didn’t, and were less likely to spend time in hospital or suffer from things like asthma attacks.

Researchers believe that this is because fathers who resembled their offspring had more confidence that the child was theirs. This resulted in the dads spending an extra 2.5 more days a month with their kid and that increased bonding time improved their overall health.

“The main explanation is that frequent father visits allow for greater parental time for care-giving and supervision, and for information gathering about child health and economic needs,” study co-author Solomon Polachek stated.

“It’s been said that ‘it takes a village’ but my coauthor, Marlon Tracey, and I find that having an involved father certainly helps,” added Polachek.

Sometimes asking for a dad to be involved in their child’s life is easier said than done so shout out to the single mums who are providing everything and more for their child’s need.

RELATED: Ovarian Cancer Risk Could Be Passed Down By Father

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