This New Study Found That A Mother’s Voice Decreasingly Stimulates The Brain After Children Reach Teenhood
Every parent knows about the numerous changes that occur once children reach teenhood all too well.
Growing pains, high-charged emotions, and an increased interest in socializing outside the family are pillars of puberty.
But, a new study conducted by Stanford University suggests that yet another change occurs at the age of thirteen.
As infants, toddlers, and young adolescents, children are drawn to their mother’s voice. It is an instinctual and grounding element of existence.
Then, as you get older, the attraction to your mother’s voice begins to diminish, according to the research study.
Stanford scientists studied the brains of children to test their hypothesis that teenagers exhibit more robust responses to voices that are not their mothers.
They first analyzed young children and found that the younger age brackets not only identified their mother’s voice perfectly, but the specific voice actually triggered numerous brain processing areas.
To compare this to teenagers, the team created audio recordings of “volunteer mothers” speaking about random topics.
Next, the teenagers underwent fMRI scans while listening to the audio recordings. The scan was meant to illuminate what sections of the brain were stimulated by different voices.
iordani – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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The researchers found that teenagers did still accurately identify their mother’s voice. However, after reaching thirteen to fourteen years old, their brains began responding with less enthusiasm to the sound of their maternal parent.
Interestingly, more enthusiastic brain stimulation occurred while listening to the voices of random people.
Specifically, the area of the brain known as the voice-selective superior temporal sulcus became increasingly active in maturing teens after hearing virtually any voice.
This study confirms the notion that the human brain takes cues from its environment and develops accordingly. After entering teenhood, children are expected to interact more sociably and independently.
By placing less instinctual emphasis on their mother’s voice, tweens and teens are able to focus on finding their place in the outside world.
So, the next time you feel like your teen is disinterested or distant, remember that it is all a natural part of growing up.
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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