Is there anything on earth that grandmothers can't do? They are the keepers of secrets, the bakers of cookies, and the proverbial ray of sunshine that lights the world.
On top of all that they do, it turns out that there may also be some scientific benefits to having your grandmother around. And it comes with the realization that your parents love your kid more than they love you.
When we're young, it's our parents' job to set boundaries for us. In a similar fashion, it is the job of any grandmother worth her mettle to push those boundaries to their breaking point.
According to a recent study, it may be even more special than was previously thought. It turns out that a grandmother's love for her grandchildren is so strong, that you can actually see it in the brain.
Scientists gathered up 50 grandmothers, all of who had at least one grandchild between the ages of three and 12. Then, they rigged the grannies to an MRI machine in order to see how their brains would respond to certain images.
They also threw in some pictures of random adults and kids. What they discovered was truly remarkable: whenever the grandmothers saw pictures of their grandchildren, their brains began to light up.
"That suggests that grandmothers are geared toward feeling what their grandchildren are feeling when they interact with them," James said in a press release.
While there was still a recognizable response, it didn't cause the same level of emotional activation in the brain. The study also suggested that the grandmothers were experiencing the emotions of their grandchildren right along with them.
"And if their grandchild is crying, they're feeling the child's pain and distress," he said. This type of behavior gives credence to something that researchers have come to know as "The Grandmother Hypothesis."
"The Grandmother Hypothesis" argues that one of the biggest reasons why women tend to live longer than men is an innate desire to fulfill their maternal role as grandmothers.
Studies have shown that elderly women who eat alone put themselves at far greater risk of contracting heart disease, compared to those who eat in groups or with their families.
Having an active and engaged grandmother in your life has been proven to boost overall emotional well-being as well as help to improve the educational upbringing of a child.
There you have it — concrete proof that your parents love your kid more than they love you. It stings, I know, but don't let it get you down.
Instead, try and think of yourself as the facilitator of the most incredible, heartfelt bond that either of them will ever know.
