How spending time with grandkids can help grandparents stay healthy, happy, and sharp.
There's now scientific evidence that suggests kids spending time with their grandparents is good for their health.
After waking up to rooster crows and being treated to pancakes made from scratch, my grandmother would help me get dressed for our mini-adventures around town.
Some of my fondest memories are of that time spent out and about with my grandmother in Nogales, Mexico. Little did I know at the time, there were great health benefits to our time spent together, too.
Listen up, parents! Now there's scientific evidence suggesting quality time with the grandkids has incredible health benefits for both grandma and grandpa.
Photo by Norman Smith/Fox Photos/Getty Images.
For the first time ever, researchers looked at how grandparenting has an effect on cognition. The study — conducted by The Women's Healthy Aging Project in Australia — observed 186 grandmothers who took care of their grandkids. The results were both surprising and awesome.
The study found that grandmothers who spent one day a week looking after their grandkids were more likely to offset dementia and had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's. Apparently, keeping up with the kiddos and answering their sometimes endless questions helps keep their memory sharp by increasing their brain function. Way to go, kids!
The study also found that a healthy grandparent-grandkid relationship helps prevent social isolation, which can lead to depression and sometimes even an earlier death. So by spending more time with grandma or grandpa, you're actually helping to keep them sharp, healthy, happy, and maybe even extending their life.
Photo by J. Duckworth/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
There's also good news for grandkids.
Initial data from the Institute on Aging at Boston College show that a strong grandchild-grandparent bond can offset depressive tendencies for both parties.
The study, which observed 376 grandparents and 340 kids over a span of 19 years (from 1985 to 2004), found that the closer the grandparent-child relationship was, the less likely either was to experience depression. If that's not a major incentive to spend more quality time with Gramps, I don't know what is.
There is one drawback cited in this most recent study that could prove to be convenient when grandma doesn't want to commit to long-term babysitting.
While it's beneficial for grandparents to care for their grandkids one day a week, it's not beneficial to their health to watch them for five days or more per week. Researchers found hanging out with the rug rats too much may affect their grandparent's memory and their ability to process information faster, leading to lower cognition.
While most of us adore our grandparents, it's important we know how our interactions affect their health. While we may feel like we have all the energy in the world, they may not. We should be informed about how much time with the kids is OK and when it's best to relieve them of their grandparenting duties.
Photo by Val Rodriguez/AFP/Getty Images.
Fostering a fulfilling relationship between kids and their grandparents is a beautiful thing. Who better to teach kids about themselves and their family history? This relationship is crucial.
This study offers a win-win situation for parents who want their kids to build lasting, meaningful relationships with their grandparents. Hey, it could also be a great excuse for finally having that date night!
So parents, feel free to ask grandma and grandpa to watch the kids — and to feel good about it — because you're also helping to keep them sharp and healthy. But remember that, like in most things in life, everything is best in moderation.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.