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Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

#71

Post by sotojuan »

bdamm wrote: post #14
lazyjones wrote: post #6

Seems obvious that geekier men start families and have children later. Example: Bill Gates.

Why is it obvious? Doesn't seem obvious to me. Is it because of the stereotype that geekier men don't hook up as young as non-geek men? What is the difference between a geekier man and a less-geeky man? Can it be objectively defined?

"Geeky" is the wrong word to use here. Educated people with ""good"" jobs have children later - geeks that work in software/STEM/medicine are included.

Plenty of my non-geek friends with good income careers are just now trying to settle down at 30.

Re: Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

#72

Post by exclusiv »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #32
exclusiv wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd suggest that geeky dads are going to attempt to be very logical with their all their decisions. So they might take their time with their spouse, want to get a house, get finances in a great place, etc, before making the jump to have kids. At some point the geekier types either alleviate all their concerns and/or realize that a lot of great things can't be framed into a logical decision, and they make the jump. :)

>Repeated studies have shown that older sperm is more prone to genetic errors and children are more likely to develop autism and schizophrenia // How is it logical then to wait until you're older (define older!)? Part of my decision - first child c. 30 - was not to wait any longer lest I be unable to keep up with them physically.

It's logical from a financial perspective for many people. When I think of older first time parents I think 30+. In the past upper 20s might be considered older because people would get married in young 20s and have children shortly after.

You want to be able to afford the increasingly higher costs of having children. You want your marriage to not be stressed from added financial responsibility. People tend to make more as they get older so many wait. That played a role in my decision to wait for sure.

The physical component you suggested is certainly a logical argument for having them younger. That pressure is higher for women too because they consider the risks of pregnancy (as you noted) and the possibility they may not be able to conceive if they wait too long.

I understand your decision but to me - having a kid at 30 over the physical concern is not logical. Sure I'd be 48 when they're 18 but even at that point, I don't have physical concerns. In fact, that would provide additional motivation to remain healthy. If I was considering physical capability for grandkids then that might enter my decision. My wife just talks about how we'd be the older parents in our kid's class which doesn't concern me.

Everyone's situation is different though. I just think finances is a big driver for those that wait and honestly I think it's a good one. If you're married and don't have your finances in order, there's a good chance your marriage won't last and you'll rack up more stress which isn't good for you or your kids.

Re: Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

#74

Post by Rylinks »

cbanek wrote: post #16

I'm seriously confused on this. First, the article throws out some very reasonable sounding things, like older dads are more established and stable parents. This seems totally legit. Then they start talking of a 'geek gene' that gets passed down by dads as they get older? That seems ridiculous to me. We don't even know how general intelligence works on a genetic level. Overall, I feel like we put way too much stock i…

We learned about hereditary traits long before gene sequencing even existed. You do not need to know how something works on a genetic level to make strong conclusions about heritability.

That being said, this specific case looks like bad reporting about a tepid study, so I wouldn't be surprised if it were totally wrong.

Re: Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

#75

Post by matwood »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #32
exclusiv wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd suggest that geeky dads are going to attempt to be very logical with their all their decisions. So they might take their time with their spouse, want to get a house, get finances in a great place, etc, before making the jump to have kids. At some point the geekier types either alleviate all their concerns and/or realize that a lot of great things can't be framed into a logical decision, and they make the jump. :)

>Repeated studies have shown that older sperm is more prone to genetic errors and children are more likely to develop autism and schizophrenia // How is it logical then to wait until you're older (define older!)? Part of my decision - first child c. 30 - was not to wait any longer lest I be unable to keep up with them physically.

> How is it logical then to wait until you're older (define older!)?

There is more than one variable at work. My parents had me at 19. I remember the family always struggling so I decided never to have kids until I was 30 (and later just turned into never).

Re: Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

#76

Post by s_kilk »

awkwarddaturtle wrote: post #48
rocktronica wrote: post #3

Sure seems like correlation to me. Older fathers are more likely to have established careers, establishing higher socioeconomic status, affording a lifestyle that engenders "geekiness".

That could be true, but older fathers also have more defective genes, are less able to play with their children, etc. The children are just genetically "weaker", have more physical issues and participate in far less physical activity because their father is so old. This is anecdotal evidence but one of my friends had a very old dad. He had issues which forced him to wear bifocals and hence he didn't participate in sp…

This is some Phrenology-grade bullshit

Re: Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

#78

Post by FeteCommuniste »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #47
mikek wrote: post #29

Older fathers correlate with an increased risk of autism. https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/study-ties...

And mothers too. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/06/10/41320592... Worse, double the risk of schizophrenia for children who have dads at 40. Triple at 50. http://www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/older.htm Other mood and psychological disorders are linked to father's age as well. Turns out sperm and eggs are delicate and after 40 years of aging, simply can't do their jobs well. Evolution's mechanisms are…

Just to clarify, the sperm cells of a forty year old man (unlike the egg cells of a forty year old woman) are not themselves forty years old.

Re: Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

#79

Post by Cozumel »

s_kilk wrote: post #76
awkwarddaturtle wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That could be true, but older fathers also have more defective genes, are less able to play with their children, etc. The children are just genetically "weaker", have more physical issues and participate in far less physical activity because their father is so old. This is anecdotal evidence but one of my friends had a very old dad. He had issues which forced him to wear bifocals and hence he didn't participate in sp…

This is some Phrenology-grade bullshit

Spotted the old guy!

Re: Older fathers have 'geekier sons'

#80

Post by tshadley »

mikek wrote: post #29

Older fathers correlate with an increased risk of autism. https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/study-ties...

The study seems to hint at the idea that autism spectrum at the very mild side might be "geeky":

>She added that some of the genes that contribute to geekiness and academic success might also lead to a higher risk of autism when a child inherits more of them.

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