Love: The Key To A Child’s Brain Development

Love is one of the most powerful environmental factors as we grow and develop. For this reason, affectionate education of children forms a fundamental pillar of their emotional health.

During life, we offer children the opportunity to promote their brain development. We give them the ability to control their biology through the influence of their emotional capacities.

Therefore, we have in our hands the opportunity to strengthen their physical and psychological well-being for the rest of their lives. Only by offering them our affection will we promote the most amazing connections in their brains.

A study at the Washington University School of Medicine found evidence of the importance of love, attention and affection in children’s brain development. It was discovered that affection promotes better development of the hippocampus. This part of the brain is important for learning, memory and stress management.

According to the journal Proceedings, which initially published these findings, the specialists conducted this study by grouping parents who looked closely at their babies’ complaints, and those who tended to ignore these situations.

Years later, researchers were able to see on magnetic resonance imaging that the children who were treated with affection had more well-developed hippocampus compared to those who were not treated with as much love.

It should be noted that a small hippocampus contributes to an increased risk of problems such as depression, stress and forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s. Therefore , we can get an idea of ​​the benefits of growing up in a loving environment.

To understand this, we must know that emotion is the translation of biochemical changes produced in our brains.

Serotonin is an example of one of the chemical substances responsible for the production of our emotional reactions. It plays a big role in regulating our mood as well as in moments when we have to confront stressful situations. We can help our children maintain adequate serotonin levels through affectionate interaction, a healthy diet and a balanced lifestyle. As a result, they will be better at handling conflicts and have less tendency to impulsivity and aggression. They will even be better at regulating their body temperature, their blood pressure, their digestion and their sleep.

With this knowledge, we can understand why a simple smile can act as an umbrella for a child. Specialists indicate that when we smile, the temperature in the cerebral cortex decreases due to the contraction of blood vessels surrounding the facial muscles, and as a result, more serotonin is produced.

That is why it is so important for our children’s brain development that they smile and are happy. In this way, their brains send a neurochemical message that helps to assure them that everything is in order.

We have already made it clear that by treating our children with love we will not only contribute to good emotional development, but also physical, social and cognitive development.

We must prioritize certain support, help or activities that promote the feeling of being loved and deserved by love. Let’s take a look at some key points.

Children should know that love is not conditional. We should therefore avoid messages such as: “if you do that, I will stop loving you, but if you do not, I will love you even more.”

Mistakes will always be a part of our lives. Children must not grow up believing that these will make them less desirable. They should feel that they are loved as they are, and not for what they do.

If we help them understand that the world is not a Disney fairy tale, they will be able to understand and confront reality. They learn that stress and anxiety are just as constant as love and affection.

In this way we avoid making them naive and unaware of everything they will encounter as they grow. Making them aware that stress and problems exist will help them better adapt to the world.

As with all forms of education, emotional education requires that we demonstrate by example. Therefore, we must show our children that there are no wrong feelings. Jealousy, jealousy and anger are normal and natural. We just have to control them in such a way that they do not interfere and overflow.

As we have said in other articles , words make up only 10% of the true meaning we convey through emotional communication. Therefore, we should help them understand how they can show their emotions through voice tones, body language, posture and facial expressions.

Educating our children with love, understanding and respect will contribute to their brain development. As a result, the development of all other aspects of their lives is promoted.