Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Caron Gremont: Obesity's Officially a Disease, So How Come My Child…
Karri-Leigh P. Mastrangelo: Am I Going to Hell For My Position on…
Mom's Voice Is as Comforting as a Hug, Study Shows
Filed under: Development/Milestones: Babies, In The News, Research Reveals: Babies
Nothing soothes like mama's voice. Credit: Getty Images
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison found that hearing your mother's voice can release similar levels of the comforting hormone oxytocin as a big ol' mama hug.
As diabolical at it sounds, researchers made 61 girls -- ages 7 to 12 -- solve complex speech and math problems in front of strangers. This made their hearts race and shot up the level of the stress hormone cortisol in their bodies.
The Daily Mirror in London reports the girls were then broken into three groups. One got comforting hugs from their mothers, another talked with their mothers on the phone, and a third group watched the movie "March of the Penguins," which researchers deemed "emotionally neutral."
According to the Daily Mirror, oxytocin rose in the first two groups at roughly equal levels. As oxytocin levels increased (as revealed in blood and urine samples), cortisol decreased.
"The children who got to interact with their mothers had virtually the same hormonal response, whether they interacted in person or over the phone," Dr. Leslie Seltzer, the lead researcher, tells the Daily Mirror.
"It was understood that oxytocin release in the context of social bonding usually required physical contact," she adds. "But it's clear from these results that a mother's voice can have the same effect as a hug, even if they're not standing there."
And the effects lasted.
"It stays well beyond the stressful task," Seth Pollak, from the university's child emotion laboratory, tells the Daily Mirror. "By the time the children go home they're still enjoying the benefits of this relief and their cortisol levels are still low. That a simple telephone call could have this physiological effect on oxytocin is really exciting."
Girls were studied because oxytocin responses are stronger in females. In adult women, the hormone helps prepare them for labor, birth and breastfeeding.
Seltzer and her fellow researchers are investigating whether other forms of communication -- such as text messaging -- increase oxytocin levels. They also hope to expand their research to animals.
"Lots of very social species vocalize," Seltzer tells the paper. "On the one hand, we're curious to see if this effect is unique to humans. On the other, we're hoping researchers who study vocal communication will consider looking at oxytocin release in other animals and applying it to broader questions of social behavior and evolutionary biology."
Related: Teens More Stressed Now Than During Great Depression
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- The owner of the property or debit creditor can relieve the person(s) of the debt,(a employment position or (court) is not ownership
- While attempting to explain consider who your explaining to. building a government may seem like gilligan's island to a person that can't
- Locating election information former governor foia or court order?
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
A Special Message From Perez Hilton and His Mom Teresita On Mother's Day
In this video blog for The Huffington Post, the Cuban blogger and his mom Teresita, talk about the importance of being 'fit and fabulous."
-
Amanda Diva on the Top Moms of All Time
Amanda Diva and Mike Britt, give a run down of who they think are the top 5 mothers of all time on The Spark.
-
Zoe Saldana On Magazines, Mother's Day & Motherhood
Zoe Saldana is hopeful that certain big magazines will broaden their exposure of "what is an American face."
-
Tameka Raymond on Being an African American Mother
The Spark with Amanda Diva talks with Tameka Raymond about issues associated with being an African American parent.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
5-14-2010 @ 6:22AM
Sunday said...I can believe this. My Mom lives alone and years ago she started calling me every day, sometimes 2 and 3 times a day. I am not a person who likes to be on the phone, so I told her that I didn't want to be on the phone 2 and 3 times a day. Her feelings would always get hurt after I told her not to call me so often. Well, we finally reached a compromise: I would call her every day in the morning before we started our day. That way, I would be free to take care of my clients (over the phone) for the rest of the day. This has been working out wonderfully. My Mom and I talk every single day on the phone anywhere from a half an hour to an hour before 8am. On the days when I have to go out of town I can't always talk to her and now I'm so used to hearing her voice that I miss her terribly when we don't get a chance to have our morning chat. I keep telling myself that someday, if anytthing ever happens to her, I will miss her terribly and to enjoy the time that we DO have. Besides my husband, she's my best friend.
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 8:00PM
Gerry said...Mom's are not suppose to be there litle girl's best friend, there to be parant's. My Mom molested me when I was ten and for a man to let anyone know that is shameful at least. But even though she had stunted my personal growth I still call my Mom, but only on Mother's day for my own feeling's, I'm not responsible for her feeling's, if she get's some reward for it, then that help's my feeling's also.
5-14-2010 @ 1:49PM
Simzee said...Every time I hear my mothers voice, I vomit. I kid you not. My mother is NOT a nice person.You would "THINK" she is but she is not.
5-14-2010 @ 7:31AM
lynne said...Sunday, it is so nice that you talk to your mom everyday. My mom lives alone too, and I call her 3-4 times a week. Usually in the evening while I am packing my kids' lunches for the next school day. I'm glad you're wise enough to cherish your chats with your mom and realize that one day she will no longer be there to chat with. Even though my mom lives far away, she is still a part of my life and I'll have an empty spot in my heart when she is no longer here.
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 10:12AM
Sunday said...Thank you for the kind words Lynne! You sound like a wonderful daughter too! I think what really made me think twice was after seeing the movie Terms of Endearment with Deborah Winger and Shirley McClain (sp?) remember that movie? In the movie, her mom drove her absolutely CRAZY, but they still had this close bond with each other that even her husband couldn't break. I cried my eyes out at the end! It occured to me that if anything ever happened to me, my mom would be devastated and alone, and there I was, making her feel that way while I'm still living.
5-14-2010 @ 8:40AM
joann said...this is a two way street....i am mom and my daughters live far away , one 1800 miles away and the other just over a l00 miles away.....i talk to each of them every day....i live alone and it means so much to me to talk to them.....usually, we talk more than once a day.....they are my best friends and i would be lost if i didnt hear from them....they make my days so much better.....they make me feel loved and like a whole person.....make those calls for each other.....
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 8:54AM
Babygirl said...My son lives in Nashville, Tn. and faithfully calls me ever Sunday and Wednesday. These two days have been OUR days for the last ten years. Although, sometimes when he is working he will call me to tell me how his day is going or to tell me about a movie I should see. Or sometimes, as he says, just to call and see how I am doing. I have another son that lives in Fredericksburg, Va. and he will call when he is waiting for my granddaughter to get out of school, we will talk for hours three or four times a week. At least once a month he will come home for the weekend. On the other-hand I get a sense of comfort hearing their voices, as well.
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 9:30AM
Pat said...I speak with my "step mom" every day. Since my father died she has been so alone and it makes her feel better and me also. I do not call my mother, she has been a mean and hurtful person to me as well as many others over the many years that she just gets under everyone's skin.......but my "step mother" loves me unconditionally and would lay down her life for me.........she makes me happy and always has good advice, when asked.
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 1:37PM
berg1928 said...I had a step-mom, too, and she was the true mother of my heart and life as well as my best friend.
5-14-2010 @ 10:20AM
Viktoria said...The scientists behind this study have obviously never talked to my mom on the phone. Talking to her leaves me stressed out, angry and frustrated. There's nothing comforting about it.
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 11:07AM
Kathy said...This is not the case for all, I can not talk to either of my parents I become stressed and have to schedule visits to a shrink. I have often wondered how nice it would have been to have had loving parents
5-14-2010 @ 11:04AM
Kennie said...I believe this to be completely true.
I had traveled to Wisconsin for Christmas with my boyfriend to see his family up there. I had never been on a trip without my family but I was excited. At one point in the trip, it was my turn to drive. I guess the reality of the situation finally hit me at that point because I started to have what I thought was a panic attack. My boyfriend told me to call my mom and ask her about it. She's training to be a nurse so it made sense. My boyfriend and I traded places and I called my mom. As soon as I heard her voice, my heart slowed back down. She helped put the attack in perspective and stop the attack all together. I was fine for the rest of the trip, even on the way home a week later.
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 11:32AM
Chris said...I'm with John Doe on this. Any adult child raised by a narcissistic mother will not find her voice comforting. Anything but! (And no, I don't expect those of you with loving mothers to understand a thing I'm saying.) Such articles as this one, however, always surface the huge amount of pain that we--yes, I and my two siblings--carry with us constantly that Mom is not there for us, and never has been. Phone calls? She does nothing but criticize and yell, and we siblings are three terribly different people (as in, can we ALL be wrong all the time???). It's a good reminder, however, how being a loving parent is very good for one's children--even our own.
Reply
10-04-2010 @ 11:31PM
Elizabeth said...Agreed Chris. Hearing my mother does nothing for my nerves except make them worse. My 4 siblings and I continually try to talk sense into her but the moment we say something even slightly out of her box, she yells at us. It's ridiculous. But I know she's not a narcissistic mother, she just never had the actual time to learn who her children are because she's always too busy. Every day, I say to myself, "on the off-chance my BF convinces me to have children, I won't be like my mother. I'll actually listen to my kids and make sure I don't become a stuck-up know it all businesswoman"
5-14-2010 @ 11:40AM
basketpam said...Not in all cases. I love my mother but she drives me nuts most of the time. I'm 48 years old and she still YELLS at me and has tantrums and pitches fits and gets verbally abuse at me like she did when I was 10 years old. My mother has a very bad temper and in a way, she's spoiled. If she doesn't get her way or things go as she wants in the family, she gets furious. And only with me and my dad, never with my brother. She can be furious with him and never say a word to him. Has made me mad for years. But I've learned it will never change. I've also learned that I'll never change her. I used to get sucked into her tantrums by apologizing and pleading for her forgiveness and basically falling for just what she wanted. Now, when she gets like this, I ignore her. I REFUSE to argue with her and actually, just like a child it makes her even madder because now she's lost her control over the situation. And I NEVER know what sort of mood she's going to be in. So you see, calling my mother is a very STRESSFUL situation. It's about the least calming thing I could do in my life. I envy people who call their mother for comfort.
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 11:58AM
Fran said...Count me in with those who say that it depends on the type of relationship you have with your mother. If you come from a toxic family situation, you will want to put distance between yourself and them as soon as you reach an age when you can (usually when going away to college) and maintain distance thereafter. My mother has been dead for over a decade, and although once in a blue moon I wish I could call her and tell her about something important that happened, I never, ever wanted to talk to her daily or even weekly when she was still alive and I was on my own. I really wish that I could feel about my parents the way that one is "supposed to" feel, but all I can do is to try my best to provide a whole lot more love and support and encouragement to my own son than I received myself, so that he will continue to be happy to hear my voice when he is grown!
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 1:54PM
Tina said...I thought this article was interesting, because there have been a few times when my 18 year old has had some health issues, and she's always asked me to just talk to her while she's waiting to see the doctor. She says it doesn't matter what I say, she just wants me to talk, and reading this article made me understand why it helped.
Reply
5-14-2010 @ 2:49PM
Christel said...My mom was sick for many many years and whenever I would call, the conversation would always turn to her dr's appts, meds, etc. Then, she moved from Chicago to Florida about 5 yrs ago. I tried calling at least once a week but honestly got tired of the "same" conversation and would sometimes just have to let her go. Well, my mom passed away last October...what I wouldn't give right now to hear all about her dr's appts, meds and whatever else she felt like rattling on about. Wish I would have learned that lesson a bit earlier...though now I talk to her everyday.
Reply