5 Psychological Studies Every Parent Should Know About

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Parenting is a hard task for sure. And, what makes it even tougher is the fact that there is always advice pouring in from all directions. The major reason for the advice burdening parents is that not all of them are facts. At times, what people tell you is just a total and complete myth. But, what is great is that many studies done by psychologists over the years can give us an insight into understanding everything better. And, also understand the advice that we should be taking and the ones that we can ignore. In turn, this may even help us become better at parenting overall. Here, we bring you some of these studies to help you decipher parenting just a little bit more:

In This Article

1. Parents Are Much Happier People

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Here is a silver lining for all the tired and exhausted parents. Research has shown that the pains of raising a child are outweighed by the happiness that it brings you. It says that parents feel much better on an average than those who haven’t become parents yet. They derive more joy and pleasure doing things that involve looking after their children (1). We are sure that the “secret parents club” is secretly grinning with joy right now and saying that they knew this all along!

2. Prioritizing Your Little One Is Totally Worth It

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Emphasizing more on the joy of having kids, it is said that inculcating a child-centric attitude can prove to be beneficial. According to another study, if you focus your energies toward your little one, you can derive a deeper meaning in life. And, you will also experience relatively less negative emotions (2). Basically, the study says that the more invested you are as a parent, the more happiness and pleasure you will derive from life.

3. Helicopter Parenting May Not Be The Best Idea

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Much like it is with most things in life, there is a fine line between smothering and caring, especially during the child’s growing up years. In a study, nearly 300 undergraduate students were asked how they felt about their parents’ behavior. The research revealed that there was a strong association between helicopter parenting and depression levels among kids. It is also said that helicopter parenting can result in lower levels of competence, autonomy, and relatedness (3).

4. Try To Steer Away From Strict Discipline

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Most parents will admit that they have been very harsh with their criticism toward their kids while disciplining them. But, what you need to be aware of is that it may only end up exaggerating the problem. A study that involved 967 families from the US revealed that all the 13-year-olds whose parents indulged in strict parenting showed even worse behavior in the following year. And, the bond that the parents shared with their kids didn’t help at all, even if it was a strong one (4).

5. Setting A Bedtime Routine

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Having a regular bedtime can significantly help with the kids’ developing brains. A few researchers followed nearly 11,000 kids from the time that they turned 3 years old until the age of seven. This was done to measure the correlation between the effects of bedtime and cognitive abilities. The study revealed that if kids had an irregular bedtime at the age of three, they got lower scores in maths, reading, and even spatial awareness (5). This suggested that the third-year milestone can be pretty significant in a kid’s life. And, the regular bedtime routine is equally important for both girls and boys so as to ensure a better cognitive ability.

Most of you may have an inkling about the results of these studies from earlier, but knowing that scientists have given their stamp of approval can make it all the more reassuring. Don’t you all agree? Good luck, mommies!

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