January 13, 2017.
Carrying your child on the left side rather than the right side would be essential for his good development. Russian researchers are advancing a new theory, which could shed light on scientific knowledge about certain mental disorders.
Many species carry their young on the left side
Moms probably don’t realize it, but for most of them anyway, they tend to carry their child on the left side. A reflex that would not be just the result of chance, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Saint Petersburg, in Russia and recently published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
They wondered about the reason that prompted many species, humans but also walruses, whales or kangaroos, to hold their child on the left side and this, even when – in humans anyway – the mother was right-handed.
A lead in research on autism?
Conclusion: this position would not be trivial and would help in particular the concentration of the mother when she has to take care of her child. ” Our results suggest that this position facilitates interactions between mother and child. “, Explain the researchers.
The authors of this study explain that the right hemisphere of our brain, which is “released” when the child is carried on the left, is responsible for stimulating communication and creating emotional bonds. The left hemisphere, on the other hand, is linked to processing information in a more orderly fashion. So when a mother cradles her child on the left side, the child’s eyes are directly connected to the mother’s left eye and the information goes to the right hemisphere of the brain, which allows the mother to decode her baby’s body language more easily.
A contact that could be fundamental in the construction of the child since scientists do not hesitate to say that this discovery could be of great help in the study of certain disorders, such as autism.
Sybille Latour
