Interpersonal biology continued…

Children are particularly susceptible to their caregivers’ emotions, due to their dependence on those caregivers. A home with conflict or even tension, affects children’s stress hormone levels and Maté points out that asthma is a prime example of this. A mother’s or father’s emotions directly affect the inflammation of a child’s lungs. Maté quotes a recent review, “It has been consistently shown that parents in an unfavorable mental health state such as depression, anxiety stress or chronic irritation, may predict a poorer status for the child’s asthma.” (Maté. The Myth of Normal. 2022. Pg 57)

Maté points out that the more we learn, the more we realize that our health is directly connected to/influenced by our social environment. We human beings, whether we are adults or children, are heavily influenced by other human beings. We are all part of an immense interconnected web.