A recent study reveals babies closer to their mothers or given a quality parental life in their early childhood have better control on their emotions in adulthood.
The researchers at Universities of Bath, Reading and University College London based this finding on a 22-year long study that closely observed the parent-child relationship from infancy to adulthood.
According to the researchers, the brain reacted differently with regards to positive emotions in people who had a secured childhood and those who were more attached to their parents. Those who had a disturbed childhood or were not close to their parents were found to be less positive about emotions. Even if they tried to be positive by 'engaging additional brain regions', they were not successful, reports medical express.
An earlier research on animals also showed that previous experiences affected emotional reactions later. "Animal research demonstrates that the way in which the brain regulates emotional responses may be persistently altered by early experiences," said Dr Sarah Halligan, the lead author of the study, in a statement. "Our research indicates that similar processes may operate in human development."
It's all about how brain processes the emotions and even the slightest alterations experienced in the earlier part of the life can have long lasting impacts on the brain functionalities, the study states.
"Importantly, our work also suggests that even relatively normal variations in the quality of the parent-child relationship in early life may have long-lasting implications for the way that the brain processes emotional experiences, said Halligan in a statement.
