Having babies makes mothers brains grow, according to a new study. That must be why those Catholic women with all those kids seem so smart, huh?
I don’t think this has worked on my wife but hey, it’s science. (I can say these kinds of things because my wife hardly ever reads the blog.)
This is pretty fascinating stuff in LiveScience:
Although the stress of motherhood may make them feel insane at times, new moms aren’t losing their minds. In fact, it’s just the opposite: Their brains grow larger in certain regions within months of delivering the newborn, a new study suggests.
And those moms who are particularly awestruck and gushy over their babies show more growth in the brain areas associated with motivation, reward and the regulation of emotion, the researchers said.
The team, led by Pilyoung Kim, a developmental psychologist who is now with the National Institute of Mental Health, used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of 19 moms two to four weeks after the birth of a child, then again up to four months afterward. Images showed small but significant increases in the gray matter in certain parts of the brain, including those responsible for sensory perception, reasoning and judgment.
A change in gray matter over such a short period is unusual among adults, according to the researchers.
That’s pretty darn cool, isn’t it? But this is mainly awesome because this gives mothers the perfect opportunity to snark it up.
You know how mothers with lots of kids are constantly asked questions about why they have so many kids in that slightly derogatory raised eyebrow way. Well now, the mother surrounded by five, six, seven or eight kids or more can just say, “Oh you don’t have as many kids as me so you wouldn’t understand because your brain is soooooo puny. Sorry.”
Note: While giving you a good triumphantly warm feeling for a brief time, acting in such a snarky way as CMR recommends could put your soul in danger. It’s up to you. Just sayin.’
October 22, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Muhhhahhahahahahahhahahahahahah! Sherry will be a Megamind before she hits menopause…..then my plans can be unleashed on an unsuspecting world. You know, your wife might not need to read your blog since she's developed the cognitive ability to read your mind as a result of bearing mulitple children….but she's too smart to let you know….yet…..
October 22, 2010 at 3:05 pm
You know, my wife doesn't read my blog either. I have random people from all over the world who subscribe to it, thousands who read it daily, yet my other half isn't interested in what I have to say.
Either that is an indictment about what we have to say or they have heard it all before. I am not sure which it is.
October 22, 2010 at 3:06 pm
that's hilarious! makes me wanna have another kid! oh, wait….
October 22, 2010 at 4:26 pm
That bigger brain is of no use when you have lactose brain. Sorry!
October 22, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Wow! My brain is so big I can hardly contain it, after birthing 6 kids. I knew something made me smart. After chilbirth everything expands, your mind, your heart, your soul. That's the way God meant it to be.
October 22, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Matt… I'm shaking my head here at your, um, failure to recognize and affirm your wife's genius. Bad move, dude.
October 22, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Wow, I could have sworn it does the exact opposite. I call it "pregnancy brain" and it has never been my friend! My kids always ask me when I will be "smart" again 🙁
October 22, 2010 at 7:14 pm
My mom, mother of 9, always said that she couldn't remember anything from 1955 to 1968…"Everything's a blur." Maybe that's because her brain was growing! I know I feel she has gotten smarter as I've gotten older… But maybe that says more about me than her.
October 22, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Is that a picture of OctoMom, after child birth?
October 23, 2010 at 2:39 am
Every time we learn something our brains develop another wrinkle. Learning about the other person in our family has got to be an immense wrinkle.
October 23, 2010 at 8:02 pm
One of my readers gave me a link to this post and since I just had my ninth child… I must be brilliant! A point that is definitely arguable amongst my peers. 😉
October 23, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Can't possibly be true…
-Mom of 6 who feels dumb all the time…
October 24, 2010 at 12:09 am
Pope John Paul II didn't call it Feminine Genius for nothing!