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Smiling Baby Equals Happy Parents
Baby Smiles Can Give You a Natural High
By Shannon McKelden
Recently an article was published in the journal Pediatrics that detailed a study supporting what parents have always known instinctively – that the smiling face of their baby brightens any day. But it may be even more than just the result of seeing a happy face. It may actually be more about biology.
Dr. Lane Strathearn, assistant professor in Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, and a developmental pediatrician at Texas Children's Hospital, helped conduct a study that showed mothers pictures of their own and other smiling infants (as well as infants with sad or neutral faces). Their responses were recorded by MRI.
"When mothers see their own baby's face, 'reward' centers of the brain are activated, similar to when a cocaine addict gets a shot of cocaine!" Dr. Strathearn says. "It's like a 'natural high' that I believe stimulates responsive care-giving behavior, and strengthens the mother-infant bond."
Mothers' brains reacted less to infants other than their own. Maybe this explains the need parents have for making their baby crack that first grin – and then striving to get it to happen again and again.
All babies have beautiful smiles, it's true. But there's something about the smile of your own little one that seems to give you just what you need at just the right time.
"That first smile, regardless of what prompts it, gives me all the feedback I need to know everything I have been doing for the baby while juggling husband, boss, coworkers, clients, my other children, no matter how tiring, exhausting or frustrating, has been successful," says Stasi Turrell, a mother of four from Dallas, Texas. "The smile means to me my baby is happy, which is really the most important [thing], and that alone makes me happy, and as a bonus the smile means to me that she appreciates and loves me. It makes it all worth it and re-invigorates me to keep going."
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