Are Moms "Smarter" than Other Women? A Study Says Yes

Photo Source: huffingtonpost.com

It’s common belief that women become forgetful when they’re pregnant. A study done by neuroscientists from Brigham Young have shown, however, that the so-called “pregnancy brain” isn’t real after all. Pregnant women had the same brain prowess as they did before they were pregnant.

But, after giving birth, when the babies are in their arms, do women get “smarter”? Another study says yes, they do.

The study by scientists from Longwood University and the University of Richmond ran tests on rats to see if there were differences between the brain structures of moms and non-moms.

Their results showed that the mother rats’ brains had larger neurons; they had more brain connections than the non-mothers. They were also more equipped at foraging for food and remembering where they stored it compared to the non-mom rats.

Dr. Adam Franssen, an assistant professor of biology, added that moms were better at planning, problem solving and coping with stress than women who didn’t have children.

“Once a woman gets pregnant she forgets her keys and gets scatter brained,” said Franssen. “During pregnancy the brain is rewiring, I like to compare it to road construction. The mother’s brain is changing shape. There’s a lot of construction and it can get confusing and you can forget your keys. But after the pregnancy, you have babies, the highway has been put together and you can drive more quickly.”

Setting aside the soundness of the study, we could all appreciate the thought that mothers’ bodies physically and mentally alter to become better prepared to face the journey of motherhood.


Sources:
June 24, 2015. "Mommy Brains May Actually Be Smarter in Many Ways". parentherald.com
May 29, 2015. "Research claims moms are smarter than other women". wfla.com