The more you resemble your father, the healthier you are

If you line me up with my two sisters, the average stranger notices only one thing: we hardly look alike.

In the farthest sense, you wouldn't say that we share such a 50% of our DNA. That we are blood relatives. And moreover, we grew up together for many years and thus share our nurture as well. There is a clear division: I am a copy of my dad, my sisters are much more like my mother. Also in terms of behavior, you know, not just looks. I don't care who I resemble more. Love my daddy and my mommy. But now it turns out that I am lucky, with that lookalike of dad. Because children who are more ‘dad’ than ‘mom’ would be healthier.

Huh, how does that work? It all starts when you are still a baby. If you resemble your father more as a little one, then a year later you are a healthier toddler. There is a logical explanation for that. Fathers want to see recognition in caring for their child, so they ‘know for sure’ that they are the biological father of the child. Even if they already know that for sure somewhere, they still want daily confirmation, like, wow, this is my offspring. That only happens naturally when they see their nose, their eyes, or their little mouth. That makes them happy and they express that again in their family. Unconsciously, the man then pays more attention to his offspring and that bears important fruits. Research shows that fathers spend an average of 2.5 days more per month with a daughter or son if that child resembles him. They go out more often, do fun things together more often, and babble sweet words to their kiddies all day long. Those young children who received all that attention from their daddies were less often sick later in life and also needed to go to the hospital less often. Sorry, sisters.

Fortunately, there is also good news for everyone who doesn't resemble their father much, because having a dad in your youth does a lot of good. An involved father makes children happier than children who grow up without a father figure. They perform better in school and come into contact with crime less often. This is because mothers often have a protective role in raising children. Fathers ensure that children are prepared for the outside world, grow up with respect for authority, and think more seriously about their future. Therefore, daughters of fathers, for example, are more often highly educated than daughters who do not have a father at the dinner table.

In short, a good father figure not only makes you happier but also healthier. So dad, I already knew it, but still, thank you for always being there for your daughters. And still are. Because no matter how grown-up we are, we always need a father. That may not have been scientifically researched, but I just say it anyway. Experienced expert, that idea.

FACTS

• Only 2 percent of children grow up only with a father
• Especially teenagers more often live with their mother: 1 in 4 lives with the father
• Men with children earn 40% more than men without children