American researchers say hearing their mother’s voice is enough to calm down an agitated child.
This should help women who feel guilty when they can only reassure their child over the phone.
The journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B published an American study that measured the stress hormone oxytocin in tweens who were placed in a stressful situation.
61 girls aged 7-12 had to make a presentation in front of strangers. Then they were separated into three groups. The first group of girls was physically comforted by their mothers. The second group was able to talk to their mothers on the phone without seeing them while the third group received no support at all.
The researchers noted that the oxytocin level lowered at the same rate in the first two groups. This shows that vocal support is as beneficial as physical comfort.