Shine Fm Blog

Smile Synchronizes Mom's and Baby's Heartbeart

Christine Dhanagom (December 13, 2011) BCN

…the degree of synchrony during infancy was a predictor for a child's moral cognition and capacity for empathy in later years.

According to a study published this month, mothers can synchronize with their babies' heartbeats just by smiling at them, i09.com reports. (Photo: LSN)

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel monitored the "cardiac output" of women and their three-month-old infants during face-to-face interactions.

Their report, published in the scientific journal Infant Behavior and Development revealed that affectionate face-to-face interaction caused the heart rhythm of mother and baby to coordinate "within lags of less than one second."

The researchers noted: "The concordance between maternal and infant biological rhythms increased significantly during episodes of affect and vocal synchrony compared to non-synchronous moments. Humans, like other mammals, can impact the physiological processes of the attachment partner through the coordination of visuo-affective social signals."

Read this full report at the source link provided.

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