Moms who declare they want to "eat" their babies, or constantly nibble at their fingers or toes, or pinch their cheeks to express delight, are exhibiting normal behavior. A study reveals that babies are like drugs to mothers and the compulsion to shower them with kisses, touches, nibbles and pinches is akin to a hungry person being served food.
Researchers from the University of Montreal suggest that "evolutionary bonding mechanism" has something to do with it, so it's not supposed to be taken as a strange behavior, the Daily Mail reports. It is what drives moms to care for their babies and see this as a rewarding experience.
The researchers also point out that the desire might be triggered by the baby's scent, and between new babies and mothers the chemical signals are always powerful. "Odor of newborns, which is part of these signals, activates the neurological reward circuit in mothers," study author Johannes Frasnellisaid, per University of Montreal's Nouvelles. "These circuits may especially be activated when you eat while being very hungry, but also in a craving addict receiving his drug. It is in fact the sating of desire."
Their group facilitated an experiment to prove their theory and enlisted 30 women who were divided into two groups. One group gave birth at least six weeks before the study, while the other group have never had kids and were nonsmokers.
The researchers gave the women pajamas previously worn by newborn babies and their brain activities were tracked. The group of moms presented greater activity, particularly in their dopaminergic system, compared to the other group.
A similar study conducted in 2014 cited the same concept and described the occurrence as "dimorphous expression," per Attn. This time, the participants involved 289 men and 390 women who were shown baby photos ranging from different ages. The newborn photos earned the most response. "I think it's triggered by having a really strong feeling of wanting to care [for] or approach the little, cute thing," study author Oriana Aragon told the news outlet.
Frasnelli reiterated that the phenomenon is the reason why moms are too attached to their babies and that this is a good thing. "If parents didn't take care of their children, mankind would go extinct pretty easily," he said.
