By Katelyn Fry
August 9, 2017

From the moment we hold them in our arms and smell their precious heads, most aunts feel an incredible connection with our newborn nieces and nephews. Some have said they couldn’t love the baby more if he or she were their own child. According to ScienceOfUs.com, it’s unsurprising. Research finds that the newborn smell triggers the same instantaneous bond in all women alike, no matter if we are the mother - or a mother in general.

Johannes Frasnelli, an anatomy professor at the University of Quebec, and his colleagues examined how 30 women responded to the smell of newborns fewer than two-days-old. Half of the women had recently given birth while the other fifteen had never given birth. The results showed that the brain scans of the women in each half reacted to the newborn baby smell the same way - “as if it were a delicious treat, or even a drug.”

The researchers found that the “body odors from 2-day-old newborns elicit activation in reward-related cerebral areas in women,” whether they are mothers or not. The smell of newborns gives all women a natural high; it awakens an internal, positive part of their brain, allowing babies to “draw [them] in…with their scent to ensure they’re kept fed, warm, and safe.”





Not to say aunts needed any validation or proof of our bond with our newborn nieces and nephews, but this study affirms that all women have a natural, innate ability and instinct to care for newborns. Plus, it’s been shown that when we hold our newborn nieces and nephews, inhaling that intoxicating scent, our touch and affection is helping their brain development.

The more loving maternal figures a newborn is surrounded by, the better for that sweet-smelling baby. Our intimate moments with them are a lot more than just a cuddle session!

Photo: Canva.com