Synced brains: why being constantly tuned in to your child’s every need isn’t always ideal

It’s crucial for healthy child development that children can form secure attachment bonds with their parents. Decades of research identified one key ingredient for this process: the coordination of parents’ and children’s brains and behavior during social interactions.

Humans connect with each other by synchronizing in many ways. Called bio-behavioral synchrony, this involves imitation of gestures and the alignment of heartbeats and hormone secretion (like cortisol and oxytocin). Even brains can synchronize ...