Childbirth apparently leads to bigger brains for new moms, according to a recent study.
The research, spearheaded by Dr. Pilyoung Kim with the National Institute of Mental Health, found that becoming a mother may not be so much “an instinctive response as a process requiring brain building,” according to AOL Health.
The study also discovered that mothers who have the best, most positive reactions with their babies also showed the most growth in the parts of the brain dealing with “emotional processing, sensory integration, reasoning and judgment,” AOL Health said.
Why would this be? Professor Dr. Crain Kinsley theorized that these brain changes in new mothers are an evolutionary adaptation, one meant to ensure the survival of newborns.
New mothers are responsible for a newborn’s survival, and the growth of the moms’ brains makes them better caregivers.
And here’s an interesting twist: The brain changes only take place in “good” mothers.
The study is inconclusive, since it only involved 19 women. More work needs to be done with a larger sample of new moms.