Mother’s hugs are never too many, they protect us and make us feel safe, they give us the strength and energy we need, but they also make us better people.
Mothers know very well that the most beautiful thing in the world is to hold their children in their arms, whatever their age. And even children know it well, even when growing up they pretend they no longer need those big and comforting arms.
But the truth is, mom’s hugs are special, as only they know how to be. They transmit all maternal love to us, they protect us and make us feel safe, they give us the strength and energy we need, but they also make us better people. According to science, in fact, it would be the mother’s hugs to make us empathetic and kind.
The research, published in the US scientific journal PNAS, revealed that children who receive constant love from birth through maternal physical contact, with hugs, caresses, and affectionate gestures, develop a natural ability to be more empathic and kind once they become adults.
Mother’s hugs are special
The biggest and most important impact would occur in the first days of life. The closer and more the physical contact is, the more children are able to develop that particular ability to get in touch with the emotions of others through a sensitivity that does not belong to everyone.
The study was conducted on a sample of 96 children. The researchers followed their growth phases from birth, up to the age of 20 to reach the conclusions we have listed above. The impact of consolidated maternal contact over time is therefore crucial in the character development of the little ones.
According to the researchers, it is precisely thanks to that affection manifested physically that children begin to tune into another person, in this case the mother, thus developing those skills that allow them to perceive the emotions of others as well.
Through this natural and non-verbal approach, between mother and child, children learn to recognize the communication signals that they will then find in social interactions when they grow up, then developing positivity, reciprocity and shared commitment.