While children are often encouraged to be open about their feelings, babies lack the ability to do so, meaning it's up to parents to recognize their emotions and verbalize them on their behalf.
This practice not only helps babies under the age of 1 develop language skills but also promotes the release of "love hormones," fostering emotional bonding.
A study conducted by University College London researchers found that babies whose mothers frequently used emotive language tended to have higher levels of oxytocin—a hormone important for bonding, trust and social understanding.
The study, which was published on November 25, involved 62 mothers—aged 23 to 44, with infants between 3 and 9 months old—who were recorded engaging naturally with their babies during a five-minute interaction. Newsweek discussed the findings with Kate Lindley Baron-Cohen, the study's lead author and a clinical psychologist trainee.
"Mothers and infants were asked to interact naturally together without toys for five minutes while being filmed. The mothers' speech in the videos was analyzed by two independent researchers for how often the mother used language demonstrating her understanding of her infant's thoughts and feelings," she said.
"For example, if a mother said, 'You're happy today,' while the infant was laughing or smiling, or 'You don't like that toy,' after the infant pushes away a particular toy, or 'Oh! That scared you,' after the infant reacts to a noise—each of these 'mental state' words would have been counted by the researchers and assessed in terms of how accurately the mother's interpretation matched her infant's behavior," the researcher added.
The Results
The researchers also measured the babies' oxytocin levels using saliva samples. They found that mothers who regularly verbalized their child's inner world had babies with higher oxytocin levels, emphasizing how this type of interaction strengthens emotional and social bonds.
The Long-Term Benefits for Children With Higher Oxytocin Levels
Oxytocin, produced in the hypothalamus—a part of the brain that controls many bodily functions—is released into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland. According to Harvard Health, its primary role is to "facilitate childbirth," which is one of the reasons it is also known as the "love hormone." It is similar to endorphins and serotonin.
Lindley Baron-Cohen said children with higher oxytocin levels in early life may experience more positive social interactions.
"Oxytocin is involved in establishing trust in social relationships, so children with higher levels of oxytocin may feel more confident exploring relationships with a sense of security," she said.
She also noted that higher oxytocin levels could help develop stronger social skills and communication abilities, enabling children to build relationships, adapt to the social world and develop resilience. However, more research is needed to fully understand these outcomes.
How Caregivers Can Incorporate These Findings Into Daily Interactions
Lindley Baron-Cohen encouraged parents to see their children as individuals with their own minds from the beginning.
"Parents can incorporate 'mind-mindedness,' or talking to their infant about their infant's thoughts and feelings, into their daily interactions with their child," she said.
To do this, parents should focus on interpreting what their baby might be thinking or feeling and acting as a voice for them. This practice helps the parent and child develop a shared understanding of the infant's experience in the world.
Lindley Baron-Cohen added: "Since babies' communication is largely nonverbal or through vocal sounds, parents can interpret these as social signals with communicative intent to understand their infant's experience.
"They can also communicate to their baby that they understand their baby's experience by mirroring their baby's facial expressions or commenting on what they observe the infant might be enjoying, wanting, needing or thinking. In doing so, the parent effectively scaffolds the infant's understanding of their own experience.
"This also helps the infant feel understood by their parent and develop a sense of trust, safety and confidence as they explore the world, as well as learn to regulate their own feelings and communicate through back-and-forth interactions."
The Vital Role Oxytocin
The research highlights the vital role oxytocin plays in regulating children's early social experiences and how a parent's way of talking about their infant's thoughts and feelings can influence this process. These early interactions may shape the quality of a child's later relationships and their mental health in the future.
Lindley Baron-Cohen said, "Our new research will be following up children from infancy to adulthood to understand these processes across development."
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