Parents often complain they have no idea what their kids are thinking; but when their children are born, there’s actually a mental link between the mother and baby. This is because the brain waves of babies “sync” with those of their mother as they are learning about their social environment. In fact, brain research recently presented at the CNS (Cognitive Neuroscience Society) revealed just how much the neural activity of babies sync with their mothers’ and what this means.

Brain Research Involving Neural Activity Syncing

Most neuroscience research that has been done involving the brain has been focused on the brain in isolation. Yet human beings are immensely social creatures. Very little is actually known about how the human brain performs social learning. As a result, scientists are looking for ways to understand brain function in a social context. 

The study recently presented at the CNS focused on how mothers responded toward novel toys in an emotional manner, and how those responses affected how their infants reacted to the toys. Both the mothers and their infants wore wireless EEG technology. Scientists would then record the brainwaves from each device as mothers reacted emotionally to one toy and how the infants reacted in response.

For example, a mother would pick up a toy, frown, and state she didn’t like the toy. The infant would then be allowed to choose what toy to play with. According to the data collected, the infants would be more likely to respond based on how their mothers reacted.

The study shows the neural activity of infants and their mothers are connected and how important it is to begin looking at the brain in a more social context. Learn more about the human brain and stay up to date on all health news by visiting us at The Benefits Store.