My grandmother, who would be over 100 now (if she were still alive) was a firm believer in physical contact between mother and infant. She often reminded my mother, (who reminded me) how important it was to hold our babies, cuddle them, message their feet, stroke their backs, speak directly to them, make eye contact, etc. She was a peasant, who never had the opportunity to go to high school, but still, she new that it was imperative to the babies well being to have positive physical and mental stimulation from their caregivers. She didn't talk about attachment but she did say babies needed to feel secure if they were going to grow up "into good people". She said that loving physical contact made babies more alert and inquisitive. She also believed this close contact with the baby would make the trials of sleepless nights and collic more bearable for the new mother.

It's a little funny that science has finally caught up to the wisdom of another 'old wives' tale.

It is apparent that almost every aspect of our lives is effected by our attachment style. How we handle stress, issues of trust, risk taking, our self confidence and many other things are effected by the relationships we had/have with our caregivers.

At first, I was surprised to read that rats were so overtly effected by lack of maternal grooming but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Social animals need to feel secure emotionally and physically. Even rats need to feel loved in order to function in society (and yes, rats live in a rat society).

While reading this study I was reminded of Harlow's Monkeys and how important warmth and security was to their behavior. (I've attached a link to a UTube video of Harlow's monkeys)

While reading the other two studies on attachment I realized the role attachment can play in personality disorders and mental health issues such as depression. I wonder how can we undo the effects of insecure types of attachment. I also wonder if educating at risk expectant parents of the requirements for secure attachment to develop would suffice. Surely, many of us know the correct way to act, but aren't always capable of following through.

We know the importance of developing secure attachment, but what next? Can we do anything to reduce insecure attachement?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsA5Sec6dAI&feature=related