(ANSA) – ROME, NOVEMBER 17 – Those lucky enough to have grown up with loving grandmothers know that a relationship with them can improve a child’s development in unique and precious ways.
Now, for the first time, an Emory University study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences has scanned the brains of grandmothers as they look at photos of their young grandchildren, providing a snapshot of this special intergenerational bond. “What really jumps out of the data is the activation in areas of the brain associated with emotional empathy – notes James Rilling, lead author of the study – this suggests that grandmothers are oriented to feeling what their grandchildren feel when interacting with them. . If the grandson smiles, they feel the joy of the child. And if he is crying, they feel his pain and anguish. ” Conversely, research has shown that when grandmothers look at pictures of their adult child, they show stronger activation in an area of the brain associated with cognitive empathy. This indicates that they may be trying to cognitively understand what the child is thinking or feeling and why, but not so much emotionally. To reach this conclusion, 50 women were asked to fill out questionnaires about their experiences as grandmothers, providing details such as how much time they spent with their grandchildren, what activities they did together and how much affection they felt towards them.
The study participants then underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain function as they looked at pictures of grandchildren, children they knew, their children, and unknown adults. (HANDLE).
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