New research has shown that levels of oxytocin, the 'cuddle chemical' which is released into the blood during labour, also increases in new fathers. Not only that but apparently becoming a father also induces a surge in prolactin, which is most commonly linked to milk production in new mothers.

These hormones have always been considered to help mother and baby bond and now studies would infer that men benefit from them too.

Men were also filmed while cuddling and playing with their children which discolsed a strong interconnection between hormone levels and the fathers ability to play and communicate with their babies.

It is thought that in the months following the birth of their child, the hormones rewire men's brains, making them more empathic which could go some way to explain why some men would seem to have changed personalities on becoming a parent.