Peaceful, responsive interactions between a mother and her baby stimulate the infant brain’s reward center, activating dopamine, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters that make life feel good. The more snuggling there is in a baby’s world, the more receptive her brain will be to love and other happy feelings as she grows. In the first 18 months of her life, her rapidly growing sensory neurons are silently learning from her mother’s responsive proximity.
