Children who receive more affection during their school years develop a larger hippocampus and have fewer symptoms of depression. These are the conclusions of a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition and that confirms what we all intuitively know: there is nothing like "mother's love."
Although many works have shown the consequences of growing up in a loving environment on school success and other psychosocial factors, this is the first to show the direct effect on the brain. Specifically, the researchers observed that children raised with affection developed a hippocampus almost ten times greater than those who had not been so lucky. This organ is related to memory and learning processes, as well as to stress response mechanisms, so its correct development at an early age is important.
"The study has a great public health implication and suggests that we should pay more attention to the way parents raise their children," the authors say. Both at school and in their family environment, affection around the little ones is important. "As a society, we must do what we can to foster these skills as it is clear that parental care has a very large impact on the later development of children," the researchers note.
