Study Says Grandmas May Feel More Connected To Grandkids Than Their Own Kids
HuffPost
Researchers are learning why the emotional bond grandmothers have with their grandchildren is different than the one they have with their own kids.
A study out Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, suggests that grandmothers relate to their grandchildren differently than they do to their own offspring. (Sorry, parents: That suspicion you’ve long held that your mom feels closer to your kids? It might be true after all!)
Interested in studying the evolutionary value of grandmothering, James Rilling, a professor of anthropology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory, measured the brain function of about 50 women with at least one biological grandchild age 3-12.
The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the grandmothers’ brains as they stared at photos of a grandchild, the child’s parents and images of an unrelated child and adult.
“When grandmothers viewed pictures of their grandchildren, they particularly activated brain regions that have been implicated in emotional empathy, such as the insular and secondary somatosensory cortices,” said Rilling of his findings, which were published last month in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Simply put, “emotional empathy” is the ability to feel the emotions that another person is feeling, Rilling said.
Etiquette experts break down the worst behaviors you may be doing in the waiting room.
"I don’t know a single person in my queer community who hadn’t considered their own exit strategy in the wake of a Trump administration."
You don't need to rely solely on the sun for your daily dose.
The former North Dakota governor will play a key role in carrying out President Donald Trump’s pro-fossil-fuel, anti-renewable-energy vision.
When it comes to sleep patterns, skin health and your hair, the answer isn't always the same.
This ritual may seem counterintuitive, but your well-being will thank you for it.