Routledge Why Love Matters: How affection shapes a baby's brain

Un livre incroyable qui vous fait réaliser à quel point il est important d'être bien dans sa tête pour avoir un bébé en bonne santé et heureux. C'est une réelle prise de conscience : si on sensibilise très tôt les parents et surtout la Maman et qu'on vient en aide à celles qui en ont besoin nous pourrions développer des adultes bien dans leur tête. Je recommande ! PS : ce serait bien de l'avoir en français pour le rendre accessible en France au plus grand nombre :) Seul hic : le livre est donc en anglais et certain passages sont légèrement technique pour un non initié

libro stupendo anche per i non addetti ai lavori. dovrebbe essere letto dalle coppie prima di avere un bambino. interessantissimo

It would be no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most important books ever written. Sue Gerhart, in very easy to understand and readable language, explains how our brains and our bodies are formed by the love we receive as infants, and how the presence or absence of shown love affects the whole of our life, and the whole of life. The fact that love is the most important constituent in life has been recognised by writers for centuries, but what Sue Gerhart does is give the scientific information, the evidence and proof that this is so. She explains very clearly how the way we are treated as babies affects our genes (switching them on of off), our brain, our nervous and immune systems, and the whole biochemistry of our bodies, therefore dictating all our later relationships, physical and mental health, behaviour, and our whole view of the world. This book - or the findings presented in here - should be taught to all sixteen year olds in schools, to all prospective and actual parents; it should be read by all educators, members of the judicial system, politicians, and all people who are suffering psychological distress, for it explains why people are as they are and shows how we can create happier, saner, more law abiding people from the way we treat them as babies. This book will explain your life to you, and the lives of others who share your world.

Profoundly Enlightening Sue Gerhardt’s Why Love Matters is an important book that addresses the crucial issue of what we need to recognize if we are to be more understanding of ourselves and each other and promote the health and well-being of future generations. This is a topic that should interest everyone because in one way or another we all contribute to what happens. The book presents evidence based on scientific research that supports the crucial role of relationships in the early development of healthy self-regulation. It describes how the ability to experience emotions with clarity and behave in constructive ways is rooted in what transpires in our immediate social context long before we have any awareness of what is happening. The book is well written and the presentation is entertaining covering not only the science but also providing vivid illustrations from the author’s clinical experience as well as from literature, film, and biography. The book underscores that it is during an individual’s most vulnerable months; namely prenatal life, infancy, and toddlerhood, that relationships have the most profound and enduring impact on our development. This is because during early life the brain is forming and becoming rapidly organized into functional systems whose structure and dynamics are not solely shaped by genetics. Exposure and experience drive genetic expression during time-limited sensitive periods and ultimately help determine whether our responses to environmental challenges or stressful circumstances will be more or less adaptive across situations. It must be acknowledged that the idea of time-limited windows of opportunity to promote maximum well-being is not a comforting notion. Unfortunately, the idea is supported by lots of evidence which is not to say that one cannot point to exceptions where individuals subjected to adverse circumstances emerge with admirable qualities. Such resilient individuals are not the norm and often they have benefited from some unexpected relationship. It is also the case that biological arguments are not readily embraced by many well-intentioned individuals who find such arguments to be dangerously deterministic explanations for human behavior and contrary to notions of voluntary choice and responsibility for one’s actions. However, dismissing the ideas put forth in this book would only serve to perpetuate societal neglect of children and families who are in need of well-timed support if they are to avoid adverse outcomes such as susceptibility to academic failure, depression, violence, criminality, and/or addiction. Here some may perceive that the author is casting blame when in fact she is clarifying what needs to be recognized if we want to be supportive in ways that are effective. Investing in the early years is simply the right thing to do and besides that it is estimated to be less costly than the alternatives. Again this is an important book with a message that perhaps is not entirely reassuring or easy to accept but one that is profoundly enlightening!

Book I have not read yet but its title itself tell about love which is the first thing we all need.