“The first year of life in humans is full of learning experiences. Babies learn to love, crawl, walk, and speak, all while growing and developing as they eat and sleep. Their bodies and brains grow at incredible rates and they have no choice but to learn from all of their experiences. However, some of their development is already biologically programmed within them.
“The importance of early and secure bonding for babies cannot be understated. There is not a lot of research, however, on the bonding between fathers and their children, as it is more popular to study the maternal bond. To give more insight into paternal bonding, a study was done and the results indicated that men with lower basal testosterone (T) have better relationships with their children and are more involved in childcare (Weisman et. al., 2014). The study involved fathers ingesting oxytocin and observing their interactions with their children. Fathers with lower basal T had a greater T increase after oxytocin administration and had “greater social–behavioral reciprocity between father and infant, indicating greater investment in the parenting context” (Weisman et. al., 2014). Therefore, oxytocin supports father-infant bonding as it does in mothers, and it does so even more effectively in men who may be more likely to be more involved in childcare in the first place. Breastfeeding is one method of promoting close bonding between mothers and babies, and allows for ‘communication’ between them in the form of components in milk. One source explains how components of breastmilk such as protein and oligosaccharides provide protection for babies against disease (Oddy, 2001). The author uses evidence of protection against illness from breastfeeding in order to assert, “it is now clear that human milk is precisely engineered for the human infant” (Oddy, 2001). Therefore, breast milk is more than food; it is a method of individualized protection and signaling between a mother and her baby,” (Notre Dame, Critical Review: Six components of the first year of human life).
I recently discovered the Netflix TV show Babies through an anthropology class here at OSU. I watched a couple episodes and was interested in how it altered my understanding of human care and development. I was particularly interested by one part of the study that took place over a year. During the study, researchers collected data from families with different parenting styles and tracked how the different parenting styles affected the babies’ brains. They found that babies raised with more attentive parents experienced less stress, and subsequently greater brain growth in areas less necessary for survival.
I’m no neuroscientist so I have virtually no credibility in this field. However, I am familiar with some anxiety treatment methods, which is related to the same core theme: security. Whether consciously aware of it or not, growth and development or happy and healthy lives seem dependent on an individual’s security or stability.
Interestingly, much of the climate movement removes this sense of security and stability from people’s lives. Movements and slogans need to be short, catchy, and emotional to garner attention, but what effect might that have on people’s brains? In their efforts to reduce climate issues are sustainability movements unknowingly creating fearful, angry societies? If people are so scared of climate change, will they become more selfish, and more willing to turn on their neighbors?
And if so, does climate action have to be so isolating? Can that change?
References
- Love (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. (2020). In Babies. Netflix.
https://www.netflix.com/title/80117833 - University of Notre Dame. (n.d.). Critical Review: Six components of the first
year of human life. Notre Dame. Retrieved September 13, 2024, from
https://sites.nd.edu/emily-clarke/sample-page/critical-summary/
