Why Love Matters explains why loving relationships are essential to brain development in the early years, and how these early interactions can have lasting consequences for future emotional and physical health. This second edition follows on from the success of the first, updating the scientific research and covering recent findings in genetics and the mind/body connection. It includes a new chapter highlighting our growing understanding of the part played by pregnancy in shaping a baby’s future emotional and physical well-being.
Key Features
- Updated Research: Incorporates the latest scientific findings.
- New Chapter: Discusses the impact of pregnancy on a baby’s development.
- Focus on Early Stress: Examines how early stress can affect a child’s developing nervous system.
Additional Information
The author focuses in particular on the wide-ranging effects of early stress on a baby or toddler’s developing nervous system. When things go wrong with relationships in early life, the dependent child has to adapt; what we now know is that his or her brain adapts too. The brain’s emotion and immune systems are particularly affected by early stress and can become less effective. This makes the child more vulnerable to a range of later difficulties such as depression, anti-social behaviour, addictions, or anorexia, as well as physical illness.
