Opinion: Grandmother hypothesis revisited: the women who fill our children’s most human needs | bairdjulia
, American researchers from Georgia’ Emory University scanned the skulls of 50 grandmothers with an MRI machine as they looked at photos of their grandchildren, aged between three and 12. They were also shown photos of a child and adult they did not know, and photos of one of their own, grown children – an adult parent of the same sex as their grandchild.
As the images of the grandkids flicked past, the parts of the brain to do with emotional empathy – as well as those to do with movement and motor simulation – flared and crackled. Neuroscientist James Rilling said: ”When they’re viewing these pictures of their grandchild, they’re really feeling what the grandchild is feeling. So when the child is expressing joy, they’re feeling that joy. When the children are expressing distress, they’re feeling that distress.” Pure empathy.
: “Grandmother’s Brain in Sync with Her Grandkids!” and “Grannies are good for you!” as the researchers outlined the benefits of grandmaternal care.But for decades, scientists were perplexed by what is the actual point of a post-menopausal woman. And, yes, we could riff on this idea for some time, but they mean here in an evolutionary sense – given that species like apes die soon after losing reproductive function.
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