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bonding

·July 25, 2024·3 min read

Key Neurons for Maternal Bonding Identified

A new study reveals that specific neurons in the brain's zona incerta (ZI) are crucial for early social interactions between infants and their mothers. These neurons, which express somatostatin, help build the maternal bond and reduce stress in infants. Interestingly, the same neurons increase anxiety and fear responses in adult mice. This discovery highlights the ZI's role in infant development and its potential adaptation over time.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 14, 2024·4 min read

Facial Expressions Key to Strong Social Bonds

Humans may have evolved complex facial expressions to enhance social bonding. By analyzing over 1,500 natural conversations, the study found that expressive individuals were more liked and better at achieving social goals. Expressive participants were easier to read and more successful in conflict negotiations. This suggests facial expressivity plays a crucial role in human social interactions and relationship building.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 19, 2024·3 min read

Bonding Boosts Brain Sync in Groups

Bonding in small hierarchical groups leads to enhanced neural synchronization between leaders and followers, fostering more dynamic communication. Using fNIRS technology to record brain activity in 176 triads during communication exercises, researchers found that groups who underwent a bonding session demonstrated increased verbal interaction and quicker shifts in dialogue participants, especially between leaders and followers.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 22, 2024·5 min read

Mapping Love and Sex in the Brain

Researchers developed the first comprehensive brain map showing activity in prairie voles during mating and bonding, uncovering 68 brain regions involved in forming enduring monogamous relationships. This study challenges previous assumptions that male and female brains operate differently during these processes, revealing nearly identical patterns of brain activity in both sexes.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 9, 2023·5 min read

Emotional Training Strengthens Mother-Baby Bonds

Up to one-third of mothers struggle to bond with their babies, leading to emotional distress for both, but a new approach may offer hope. Researchers trained expectant mothers, particularly those at high risk of postpartum depression, to better recognize and respond to infant emotions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 26, 2023·5 min read

Balanced Parenting Is Key to Nurturing Harmonious Sibling Bonds

A new study suggests that equal treatment of siblings by parents fosters better sibling relationships. Analyzing retrospective reports of 325 college-age adults, the researchers found that parental differential treatment and family cohesion work in tandem to shape sibling relations.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 17, 2023·9 min read

Prairie Voles Born via C-Section Can’t Bond: Is Birth Key to How We Love and Relate?

Prairie voles born via cesarean section were unable to form pair bonds. However, exposing them to oxytocin allowed the c-section-born prairie voles to form pair bonds upon maturity. The findings raise an interesting question: Is our method of birth more important to how we love and form relationships than we realize?

Featured Neuroscience

·January 27, 2023·6 min read

Fresh Questions About Oxytocin as the ‘Love Hormone’ Behind Pair Bonding

The "love hormone" oxytocin may not play as critical a role in bonding as previously believed. Removing the oxytocin receptor in animal models still resulted in monogamous mating, attachment, and parental bonding behaviors, although females without the receptor produced milk in smaller quantities. Findings reveal parenting and bonding aren't purely dictated by oxytocin receptors.

This shows a female macaque and a toy of a baby monkey

Featured Neuroscience

·September 20, 2022·12 min read

Observations in Macaques Provide New Insights Into How Mothers Form Attachments to Their Newborns

Female macaques appear to form an attachment to their infants via tactile sensations of their soft textures rather than on other cues, including sight and sound.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 20, 2022·3 min read

‘Cuddle Hormone’ Oxytocin Strongly Affects Male Mice on Becoming Fathers

Neurons that secrete oxytocin in the paraventricular nucleus in the hypothalamus are responsible for activating paternal instincts in new fathers, a mouse model study finds.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 25, 2022·4 min read

Bond Between Mothers and Their Babies Integral to Infant Development

A mother's positive perception of her bond with her infant is a marker for more optimal social, emotional, and behavioral development.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 21, 2022·4 min read

Hormone Found to Regulate Mothers’ Behavior

Prolactin, a hormone responsible for milk production in mothers, reduces a mother's investment in aggressive behaviors and helps to increase protective behaviors.