Yale professor says 'dad bod' makes men healthier and more attractive

Men found themselves breathing a collective sigh of relief last year when the phenomenon known as ‘dad bod’ was deemed attractive, now a new book suggests “pudgy” dads are healthier too.

The book, titled How Men Age: What Evolution Reveals About Male Health and Mortality, argues the physical decline men experience as a result of their testosterone levels dropping actually strengthens their immune system.

Richard Bribiescas, author of the book and professor of anthropology and deputy provost at Yale University told The Telegraph, London: “Macho makes you sick.”

“The Hollywood image of the swaggering, dashing man dispatching bad guys and carrying the day conjures up a perception of indestructibility.

“While men are on average larger and physically stronger than women, men have a considerable weakness.

“We have a harder time fighting off infections and illness compared with women, and… men simply do not take care of themselves.

“This has a significant negative impact on the pace at which men age.”

Bribiescas says in his research he also found evidence men with a little bit of extra chub are less likely to suffer from heart attacks and prostate cancer, Newsweek reports.

What’s interesting is that Bribiescas says when men go through these changes, they are likely to invest more time in their children.

“[One] effect of lower testosterone levels is loss of muscle mass and increases in fat mass,” Bribiescas writes in his book.

“This change in body composition not only causes men to shop for more comfortable trousers but also facilitates increased survivorship and, hypothetically, a hormonal milieu that would more effectively promote and support paternal investment.”

The term ‘dad bod was coined last year when 19-year-old Clemson University sophomore Mackenzie Pearson published the explanatory essay Why Girls Love The Dad Bod.

“The dad bod is a nice balance between a beer gut and working out. The dad bod says, ‘I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time,” Mackenzie wrote.

“There is just something about the dad bod,” Pearson continued, "that makes boys seem more human, natural, and attractive.”