The relationship with one’s parents is arguably the most meaningful human experience and it is crucial to a baby’s development. What happens in the brain when people fall in love with their babies? For many years, researchers and doctors knew that the bonding experience was heavily influenced by the release of a hormone called oxytocin in a woman’s body, but the concept of bonding was not yet fully understood. So, in 2001, the first study of the role of oxytocin in human bonding was conducted. 80 mothers were recruited and a sample of their saliva was taken during pregnancy and in the first month after childbirth. It was found that the levels of oxytocin present in the woman’s body rose during pregnancy and stayed at a high level throughout the pregnancy as well as after childbirth.
It was also discovered that when a mother embraced her infant and engaged with it often, the oxytocin levels in both the mother and baby rose, making the mother want to engage with her baby even more. It was concluded that the higher the oxytocin levels in a mother, the more engagement and feeling of love and connectedness she would have with her baby. But could the same be said for a baby’s father? Once again, a study was conducted with 80 couples. They were required to give a sample of their saliva to measure the levels of oxytocin in the first month after the child’s birth. The results were astounding. It was discovered that the levels of oxytocin in both the mother and father were the same! As it turns out, the more engaged and involved a father is with his baby, the more the hormone oxytocin is activated. Ultimately, this means that fatherhood is biological and it’s as deep as motherhood.
