5 Benefits of Being a Father

Regardless of how many years you've been a dad, there is an abundant amount of opportunities to be a better father. By learning to embrace the opportunity, you can create a good influence on your children, for example. The benefits of being a dad cross into several realms emotional, physical, social, and spiritual. For many, marriage and family living are a pathway to ideal manhood.

By being a better father, you can become a better man. Although some men who are dads can often feel tired, discouraged, and overworked, others are energized, inspired, and strong. In fact, there are studies that show how fatherhood helps men with health, activity, and job satisfaction lowering the risk of depression.

* Personal Health Improves

Research shows that the structure that comes into a man's life because of fatherhood helps him make better choices. According to Parents Magazine, fathers tend to lose bad habits like smoking and start to choose home-cooked meals over fast food.

* Activity Level Increases

Routines like getting up at night, playing with the kids, and walking to the park make dads more active and feeling better about themselves. The Pew Research Center discovered that 54% of dads appreciate the benefits of parenthood.

* Stress-Related Ailments Are Reduced

The National Institute of Mental Health found that men who are in healthy family relationships are less likely to have stress-related health problems. Issues like chronic pain, insomnia, stomach problems, and fatigue are less problematic for stable fathers than for other male subsets of the population.

* Ability to Nurture Develops

So often, we see boys and young men being self-focused and self-absorbed. Fortunately, the Minnesota Fatherhood Initiative found that men who succeeded as fathers became less inward-focused and developed a greater ability to nurture and care for others. They did this not just for their children, but for their spouses, friends, and coworkers.

* Risk for Clinical Depression Lowers

Men who live alone have a much higher risk of depression and suicide than married men with children. Research from the Harvard Men's Health Watch showed in a survey of 127,545 American adults that men who were married were healthier than those who were unmarried, divorced, or widowed.