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Comfort from mom, even if only over the phone, can reduce stress in children, improving their chances of maintaining good health later in life.

 

A May 18 article appearing on MSNBC, "Kissing Kid's Owies May Benefit Health," discusses a study which suggests that maternal nurturing, even in the face of other stressors such as poverty, can reduce a child's risk of chronic inflamation and disease into adulthood.

 

Another study, featured in a May 12 NPR article titled “Mom's Voice Packs Soothing Power,” suggests that simply hearing mom's voice in times of stress (such as when doing math problems in front of an audience) may be as effective as physical contact in triggering the release of calm-producing oxytocin in a child's brain.

 

Want to delve further into the mysteries of the developing brain?  Check out some of these related materials from the Library.