Researchers have found that hugs have a positive effect on children’s brain development. The hormone oxytocin plays an important role in this.
Ohio – Hugs have become rare these days. And right now in the corona pandemic (* FNP reported) we long for it – more than ever before. This profane way of expressing affection or greeting people almost seems like a relic from a time before mouth protection *, social distancing and distance lines * dominated our everyday lives.
Sure, it is no longer possible with friends and outside of your own household – but especially in the family, with our little ones, hugging seems to have an important effect. A study has now shown that hugs promote brain development in children.
This is exactly where the hormone oxytocin comes in. Because with gentle touches and hugs the so-called “cuddle hormone” is released. It ensures that stress is reduced in the body and that breathing and heartbeat are slowed down. The happiness hormone oxytocin thus leads to a general feeling of wellbeing.
Study: Hugs make children more intelligent
In medicine it is known, among other things, as the hormone that triggers labor and is used accordingly in obstetrics. In addition, according to dailyhealthpost.com , it strengthens bonds, for example between lovers or between mother and child. Researchers found that babies and children who were often hugged by their parents had brains developing faster and better than children without this type of affection. Oxytocin also influences the development of the embryonic brain, for example the formation of blood vessels in the pituitary gland. For example, it controls stress, growth and reproduction.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, USA, conducted a study of 125 babies to test their response to physical closeness.
The result: premature babies reacted less to physical contact than babies who were not born prematurely. In children who received affection in the form of hugs, the researchers found a stronger brain response. According to this, affection would significantly shape the development of children’s brains. The more oxytocin that is released, the more it affects a child’s brain development. And the more love and affection a child experiences, the bigger his brain becomes, according to researchers. Ergo: the more hugs, the more intelligence. * FNP is an offer from IPPEN.Media.
