Kids Get Their Intelligence From This Parent, According To Research
Science suggests smarts come from one particular parent.
Weekend Images Inc. | Canva Many of us grow up and stop appreciating our parents, especially our mothers. We forget all that she's done, and sacrificed for us. There are even some things she's given us we don't know about that we have to thank her for.
You have more to thank your mother for than your perfect nose, your penchant for sarcasm, and that Amazon gift card she got that you still have in your night table drawer. But at this point, use it to get her a present. Why, you ask?
According to scientific research, your intelligence comes from your mom.
Let’s break down the science for those (like me, who hated biology class) who may be a little rusty. Women have the XX chromosome and men have the XY chromosome. A chromosome is like a hard drive, that lives in our cells. It transports our genes to our offspring.
According to this study, our intelligence comes straight from those really important X chromosomes; and since our mothers have two of those bad boys, it’s twice as likely our intelligence comes from our maternal side.
Yuri A / Shutterstock
Don’t worry, dads, your effort isn’t for naught — the same study suggests that the XY chromosomes contribute to the physical aspect of your children.
Of course, these tests were all done on mice but luckily, there may be a human link, too. The researchers identified cells in six parts of the brain that control different cognitive functions, from eating habits to memory, that contained only maternal or paternal genes.
According to Psychology Spot, “Those with an extra dose of maternal genes developed a bigger head and brain but had little bodies. Conversely, those with an extra dose of paternal genes had small brains and larger bodies.”
But it’s not all Mom's chromosomes that help make kids more intelligent — a close bond and a mother's love affect brain growth, too.
“The importance of the emotional relationship for the development of the brain has been demonstrated by researchers at the University of Washington, who revealed for the first time that a secure bond and the love of the mother are crucial for the growth of some parts of the brain."
Yuri A / Shutterstock
"These researchers have analyzed for seven years the way mothers relate with their children and have found that when supported emotionally by their children and adequately gratified their intellectual and emotional needs, at age 13 the hippocampus of the kids was 10% greater than that of children of mothers who were emotionally distant. It is worth mentioning that the hippocampus is an area of the brain associated with memory, learning, and stress response.”
So, turns out there's a science-backed reason your father always knows to never argue with your mother: he knows how smart she is.
Liza Walter is a freelance writer who has appeared in HuffPost, BRIDES, BUST Magazine, Ravishly, and more.