Shannon Murphy
300697377
Comm 170
Brain scan technology is revealing surprising new information never known before which is changing what people think about early childhood development and about the experience of love. Many years ago people were led to believe that babies weren’t capable of learning at such young ages, but in fact recent studies show that humans begin utilizing their brain function from day one of life. Babies begin to imitate facial expressions as early as newborns, a child of only nine months can distinguish between emotions of happy, sad or even angry and know and how to put together that an action causes a feeling. “In the past 30 years we have learned more about what young children know and how they learn then we did in the preceding 2,500 years”(Gopnik, 2000, p43). In her article “The Brain on Love” Diane Ackerman says: “We used to believe this was the end of the story: first heredity, then the brain’s engraving mental maps in childhood, after which you’re pretty much stuck with the final blueprint” (Ackerman, 2012, p.108). Humans have discovered the impact love plays as a role in everyday lives. A newborn’s brain first experiences love the day a mother first holds their child, the bond between a mother and child is like no other love shared. Later in life as humans make friends we often look for that same love and loyalty from the first experience of love which we shared with our mothers when born. The scenario of love within ones brain continues and helps us look for our soul mate. Loving relationships also alters one’s mind, and play a huge part of emotions. “When two people become a couple, the brain extends its idea of self to include others; instead of the slender pronoun “I”, a plural self emerges who can borrow some of the other’s assets and strengths”.(Ackerman, 2012, 109) The brain alters to depend on their soul mates love, loyalty and