Stressed? Calling Mom helps
According to a new study, talking on the phone with Mom helps with stress. At least for young girls, talking on the phone with their moms reduces a key stress hormone and also releases oxytocin.
In the study, they asked 61 girls, ages 7 to 12, to give a speech or do math problems in front of an audience. Afterward, roughly one-third of the girls were reunited with their mothers, who hugged and soothed them for 15 minutes. Another third spoke to their mothers on the phone for 15 minutes. The last group watched a “neutral” movie. After seeing or speaking with their moms, the girls in the first two groups watched the same movie for an hour.
The cortisol levels of the girls who were soothed by their mothers in person or on the phone started dropping immediately after the stress test, and returned to normal after a half-hour. Cortisol levels in the other group continued to rise after the test and remained higher than normal.
Go ahead and call mom. It’s good for you.
Last Updated on May 12th, 2010
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