Research carried out by Rutgers Health and Yale University suggests that being a parent may have benefits for brain function in later life. The study used family information and analysed brain scans from the UK Biobank, looking in particular at areas associated with movement, connection and senses as well as at how different areas of the brain communicate with each other. 

The findings challenge assumptions that having children leads to damaging levels of stress and strain. Instead, this research suggests that parenting may provide a form of environmental enrichment that could benefit brain health through increased physical activity, social interaction and cognitive stimulation. The benefits for brain health appear to depend on the care-giving role rather than the physical effects of pregnancy on the brain as patterns of brain connectivity that directly oppose typical age-related changes were present in both mothers and fathers. The study also found that a higher number of children parented was associated with increased functional connectivity across somatosensory and motor networks. 

The authors caution that, as their findings were based on data proved by UK parents, they may not be transferable to parents from different cultures and backgrounds. More research is needed to explore how being a parent effects brain changes. 

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Read more: Orchard, E.R. et al. (2025) Protective role of parenthood on age-related brain function in mid- to late-life.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,122(9). DOI:10/1073/pnas.2411245122