Awaken Your Child’s Brain By Talking

When you talk to him and your child hears your voice, you are actually waking up your child’s brain. The parts of the brain responsible for emotions, social skills, recognizing faces and organizing information are activated.

This reaction takes place only through the mother’s voice. Studies show that this does not happen because of the noise of other women. This research was recently published by Harvard University, as part of the National Academy of Science.

“Part of our social awareness of language and emotional processes comes from the simple experience of listening to our mother,” says Daniel Abrams. He is one of the writers of the play. The university published this statement. It was then picked up by media all over the world.

The study’s findings surprised the researchers. They already knew that the baby calms down when the mother talks to him. Little did they know, however, that a mother’s voice would awaken your child’s brain in such a quick and effective way.

Abrams explains that some studies have already shown that babies prefer to hear their mother’s voice over someone else’s. But until now, no one has specified the reasons for this phenomenon. “No one had stopped to observe the brain circuits that carry out these processes,” adds the scientist.

Your child’s brain is activated by your voice

The study consisted of examining the brain scans of several children as they listened to their mother’s voice and that of a stranger. A total of 24 children between the ages of 7 and 12 were followed. These children had lived with their mother all their lives.

The article states that all children had an IQ of at least 80. Also, no one suffered from developmental or other disorders.

First, the parents completed a short questionnaire. This concerned the child’s communication skills.

Then the mother recorded three meaningless spoken words. “Given the ages of the children, it seemed more sensible to use made-up words. As a result, they would not be familiar with those words,” adds the writer.

In addition, two unknown women took part in the study. None of the children were acquainted with them. They also had to record three made-up words. In the end, all the children heard both of these recordings.

The results indicated the following. In 97% of the cases, the children were able to recognize the mother’s voice. Also, when they only heard this voice for a second. And the children’s brains responded more and better to the sound of their mother than to the voice of the unknown woman, the authors explained.  

Your child can recognize your voice before he is born 

The studies reinforce the findings of another group of researchers. In 2014, these looked at the response of premature babies who listened to their mother’s voice.

This research found that talking to your baby as a mother before he is born helps the child eat better. He also becomes calmer when he is faced with a stressful situation.

Listening to the mother’s voice lowers cortisol levels and increases oxytocin levels. This is a hormone that strengthens the bond.

This bond between mother and child is already formed in the womb. Here the baby hears and feels all the sounds and vibrations of the mother. When the baby is born, he can immediately distinguish his mother’s voice perfectly. They have a strong preference for this sound, over all sounds in the world.

At the time, the researchers concluded the following: “The mother’s voice activates the anterior prefrontal cortex and posterior left temporal region of the brain more intensely than with an unfamiliar voice. This prepares the baby for the task of language development.”

Abrams explains that it was already known that listening to the mother’s voice improves the emotional well-being of the children. However, it has now been shown that the biological process behind this bond contributes to better social and communication skills.

The result of this study indicates that when you talk to him, your child’s brain is activated in different ways. This opens doors for research into the effect of the mother’s voice on your baby’s brain when he has a disability.

Conclusion

“It’s great to see the mother’s voice awakening so many systems in her child’s brain,” said Harvard University scientists. They pay tribute to the power of a mother’s voice.