A: a newborn baby
THE SMELL OF A BABY CAUSES PLEASURABLE BRAIN REACTIONS IN THE MOTHER: New research finds the smell of a newborn baby is actually a chemical communication between mother and child that causes a reward response in the brain of the mother. Canadian researchers explain, “These circuits may especially be activated when you eat while being very hungry, but also in a craving addict receiving his drug.” To find this, researchers had two groups of 15 women sniff pajamas with the scent of a newborn while having their bain scans. One group of women had given birth within six weeks and the other group had never had a baby. Researchers say the mothers showed a dopamine increase as they sniffed the pajamas while non-mothers did not have as much of a reaction. Researchers say the results showed the odor of newborns plays a role in the development of motivational and emotion responses between mother and child by encouraging maternal care functions such as breastfeeding and protection. (Daily Mail)
