Instincts are not preprogrammed, hardwired, or genetically determined but emerge each generation through a complex cascade of physical and biological influences. While DNA plays a critical role in these processes, instincts are not by itself created.
Mothers undergo a possible brain basis for parental instinct while pregnant, breastfeeding, and caring for a new baby. Researchers have shown that a region of the human brain called the medial orbitofrontal is a possible brain basis for parental instinct. For humans, besides meeting the primal evolutionary needs for survival and continuation of our species, parenting involves interrelated biological, psychological, and psychological factors.
Some argue that a superior “maternal instinct” is part of a woman’s biology, but do pregnancy, hormones, or parenting experiences really create a stronger bond? The explanation of parental love being an instinct ties to our biological makings. Most parents are not born with parenting instincts, but most of us do eventually learn how to parent our children effectively without it. To have a close relationship with non-biological children, we have to learn to work with and around their instinct that we don’t belong in their lives.
Some believe the compulsion to bear babies is biologically inbuilt, even suggesting women who refuse their supposed evolutionary duty are selfish. The human race must depend on some kind of parental instinct to forge the important lasting bonds between parents and their offspring. We are wired for protection and typically get very clear signals or instincts when something is threatening ourselves and our children. Intuition is more complex than instinct, and when becoming a parent, brain chemistry changes.
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Do children get more traits from mom or dad?
We inherit more genes from our maternal side due to the fact that the egg, not the sperm, passes down all of the mitochondrial DNA. Additionally, the W chromosome has more genes. This week’s Weekly Dose of Wonder from the Science Desk discusses genes and families, revealing that we inherit more genes from one of our biological parents. While we all inherit genes from both biological parents, it’s not a 50-50 split. In this context, we inherit more genes from one of our parents, such as our mother’s daughter or father’s son.
Does paternal instinct exist?
Paternal instinct, triggered by hormones like estrogen, prolactin, and oxytocin, is a natural response in men, albeit in different proportions. Dads’ paternal instinct is stronger when they spend quality time caring for their babies, as they lack the physical bond from prenatal periods. Research from Bar-Ilan University in Israel suggests that active play and interaction with babies contribute to paternal instinct, while mothers receive hormonal boosts from affectionate parenting.
Babies often prefer to play with dads and seek comfort from moms, as this is where parents find the most enjoyment in parenting. Hormones that push maternal and paternal instincts to bond, love, and protect babies also correlate during these times.
Do children get intelligence from mother or father?
The role of both parents in determining a child’s IQ is of paramount importance, and the notion that intelligence is solely linked to the X chromosome is erroneous. The correlation between the mother’s IQ and her offspring’s IQ is stronger than that between the father’s IQ and his offspring’s IQ, due to the presence of specific genes on the X chromosome.
Can a child sense who their father is?
Newborns can sense their fathers and recognize their voices, with research suggesting that many infants may start recognizing their father’s voice as early as 32 weeks into pregnancy. Babies know their fathers from an early age, as they form attachments with their caregivers, and fathers play a crucial role in this bonding process. Although newborns may not immediately recognize their father visually, they associate their father’s voice, scent, and touch with comfort and security.
As dads spend time holding, talking, and playing with their baby, they strengthen this bond, which is essential for their emotional and social development. Babies typically start recognizing their father around two to four months, as their visual acuity improves and consistent interactions, such as talking, singing, and physical closeness, help them form a strong connection with their father.
Is father’s intuition real?
Parents should trust their intuition and respect it first. Acknowledging maternal and paternal instincts is crucial, and when feeling an ‘inkling’, it’s important to investigate. As children grow older, fostering trusting relationships should not overshadow the need to assess. It’s important to be curious when your gut is speaking to you, learning to calm your nervous system and engage in self-discovery.
Ego-based stories and ideas can be similar, but they can be detrimental to connections and child growth. Parents should know the difference in reactions and act from a place of wellness, not fear. Expert tips for parents to better trust and interpret their intuition include:
- Listen to your body’s messages and be curious about what it is saying.
- Practice self-care and avoid ego-based stories and ideas, as they can be counterproductive.
- Practice self-care and avoid focusing on fear or fear.
Do kids pick up traits from their parents?
Parents often feel they are growing into their children, but the connection between personality traits is not strong. Extroverts and introverteds can often have children, and vice versa. This may seem surprising, but siblings can show significant differences in personality traits. The author’s sister and I are both opposite, and if we had absorbed our personalities directly from our parents, we would likely be more similar. Therefore, personality research is essential for understanding and addressing these differences.
Is parenting instinctive or learned?
Parents frequently adopt disparate strategies when addressing their children’s challenges.
Do children instinctively know their parents?
From birth, babies can recognize their parent’s voice and smell, and they start studying their face to understand comfort, trust, and love. Around 1 year old, babies start giving kisses, which may be wet and sloppy, to show they’ve been paying attention to their parent’s affection and want to do the same. They are eager learners when it comes to physical affection, and there’s no one they’d rather practice with than you.
Babies also hold up their arms, which is a body-language expression of how much they’ve come to trust and love their parents. It takes about 6 months for babies to have the physical and cognitive abilities to ask for a pick-me-up, and holding out their arms can be enough to make your heart lurch. These behaviors demonstrate how babies learn to trust and love their parents, and they are eager learners when it comes to physical affection.
Are instincts inherited?
The study of mallard ducklings, a type of animal, reveals that their righting responses were no longer impaired after a week of exposure to Earth’s gravity. This raises the question of whether isolation from Earth’s gravity throughout the development period would have more lasting effects. The research highlights that even the simplest instincts develop in response to environmental factors, including the gravitational environment of our parents’ home planet.
Anomalous individuals, such as Johnny Eck, who was born with amelia and had short legs, can provide valuable insights into the processes that guide typical development. Eck’s locomotion was fluid and graceful, demonstrating the fluidity and grace of human locomotion, similar to how humans use their feet. This highlights the importance of understanding the developmental importance of environmental factors in shaping our behavior.
Are instincts learned or inherited?
The study of mallard ducklings, a type of animal, reveals that their righting responses were no longer impaired after a week of exposure to Earth’s gravity. This raises the question of whether isolation from Earth’s gravity throughout the development period would have more lasting effects. The research highlights that even the simplest instincts develop in response to environmental factors, including the gravitational environment of our parents’ home planet.
Anomalous individuals, such as Johnny Eck, who was born with amelia and had short legs, can provide valuable insights into the processes that guide typical development. Eck’s locomotion was fluid and graceful, demonstrating the fluidity and grace of human locomotion, similar to how humans use their feet. This highlights the importance of understanding the developmental importance of environmental factors in shaping our behavior.
Are children better off with their biological parents?
The available evidence suggests that children who are raised in low-conflict marriages with both biological parents tend to demonstrate more favorable outcomes than those who are raised in single-, step-, or cohabiting-parent households.
📹 Maternal instinct: Every mom has it, right? Well, science says it’s not real
Research says maternal skills are learned, not inherent. What’s commonly known as “maternal instinct” is a cultural phenomenon.
I moved in with my grandparents when I was 8. I don’t remember much vividly but I remember knowing that they were keeping me because they had to, my mum provided for everything financially, down to the snacks I took to school. So it was hard to feel loved because I couldn’t say “well, they are constantly shouting at me but at least they clothe me, feed me and educate me.” They had one job and they failed, miserably. They made me so self conscious, I was 8 and I wasn’t used to constantly being shouted at, criticised, insulted and ridiculed. It made me severely insecure and left me second guessing everything I did, and for those of you who don’t know that is so paralysing. You can’t form a sentence, take a step without thinking about all the implications it has for you and everyone around you. I never felt like I had parents and I never felt loved. My self hate kept me from pursuing anything that required more from me because I believed I could only achieve so much. I set limits/boundaries parameters as to what I can do, who I can be friends with and what I can achieve. I was lucky to be naturally smart but when school got harder and it was extremely important to get good grades, it became evident to me I couldn’t do it (despite having done it well for years). Hating my self has cost me so much, a normal childhood, a normal adolescence. I go on dates and people tell me exciting stories about their life and I can’t reciprocate because I spent all my life hating myself and didn’t do much, that makes me feel isolated and even more unworthy of their love.
I am an adoptee who suffers from primal wound syndrome and am what is considered a glass child. My older brother was severely disabled and required 24 hour care. My younger brother was born with ADHD (obviously not as a baby. I was smart, obedient, well behaved, giving up any feelings of need for myself in order to allow my parents to offer the care and attention that my brothers needed. On the outside, I seemed fine without attention and personal time with my parents, and to request so would have been selfish of me. At 53, I even caught myself writing an email to my daughter (who is currently virtually no contact with me because I had some issues parenting her because, as I suggested, I was not given the parenting I needed and so I didn’t know how to parent giving attention to my child and being selfish (I wasn’t really, it is just that I am so self-critical that my daughter, who is smart yet a little manipulative, had learned that even the smallest amount of disdain leaves me devastated. I also suffer from anorexia and bipolar disorder, which can look like drug addiction, so it is easy to dismiss someone whose issues are their own fault. I caught myself saying to both my mother and my daughter that I was sorry that I turned out bad. At 53, I still see myself as so fundamentally flawed and wretched that I do not deserve love and support. My father died two months ago and I traveled a long way to attend his funeral; but, I was left alone in a hotel room after my psychiatrist retired and I had been without my medication for 6 months and was beyond sick.