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Benefits of a mother's touch
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A mother's touch provides positive effects for both mother and child. (Shutterstock/File)
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mother’s touch is not only a form of affection, it also gives benefits to children’s emotional intelligence due to its influence on how they interact to other people as they are growing up.
According to tempo.co, psychologist of the Institute of Applied Psychology of the University of Indonesia (LPT-UI) Vera Itabiliana Hadiwijojo stated the importance of a mother's touch through various research. One set of research, conducted by Jens Brauer, Annett Schimer and their colleagues on the cerebral cortex, has proven that a child’s “social brain” works more actively when experiencing physical touch from the mother.
The term “social brain” explains neuronal networks enabling an understanding of the social world. The mother’s affectionate touch will reach the child’s brain through nerve fibers and tactile afferents, thus creating a hormonal reaction that influences the child’s “social brain”.
Children who are touched more often by their mothers have a better ability to sense other people’s mental conditions compared to those who rarely get physical touch from their mothers. Researcher Annett Schimer also stated in the journal that the benefit of mother’s touch is permanent.
(Read also: Parenting is never easy and this is what I've learned so far)
The crucial time for babies when they need their mother’s touch the most is up until they reach age 2. During this time, babies are in the process of developing the belief that their existence is needed by people around them.
“Don’t let them feel that this world is cruel and does not care about their existence,” said Vera. Otherwise, they could have developmental issues.
Furthermore, researchers at McGill University, Montreal, Canada have proven that mother’s touch is also beneficial for premature babies. It can serve as pain relief and help to optimize their development. “Premature babies will develop well if they are routinely carried by their mothers,” Vera explained.
Meanwhile, mothers will also receive advantages from touching their children. The children will feel comfortable and enjoy their time with their mothers. “This will make the mothers happy for believing that they have done a good job as a mother,” Vera said, adding that it will also make the mothers more relaxed. (wir/asw)
