Yet another study on parent-child relationships found that mothers who were less controlling when playing with their young children had stronger bonds with their kids.
Consequently, researchers theorized that the children of less-controlling mothers felt more accepted and loved—leading to better relationships.
Thus, unconditional love has a powerful impact on the parent-child attachment bond. Furthermore, this bond determines a child’s ability to form authentic connections. Additionally, it determines how easily that child will be able to make authentic connections as a teenager and an adult.
Children or teens with a secure attachment know that their parents are emotionally available and responsive to take care of them. Therefore, they learn to trust and rely on others. In addition, they are better able to regulate their emotions and be their true self.
Consequently, this allows for an authentic connection. Otherwise, they tend to be insecure, anxious, and fearful. This results in behaviors ranging from aggressive and demanding to clingy and dependent.
Unconditional Love and the Brain’s Reward System
Moreover, one study has mapped the areas of the brain involved in this form of love. Researchers at Montreal University instructed participants to feel love toward specific people in a series of photographs. Simultaneously, they scanned their brains using an fMRI machine.
As a result, they found that this type of love involves a distinct neural network in the brain. Specifically, seven areas of the brain are involved with this emotion. Furthermore, this network contains cerebral structures that are also involved in romantic and maternal love.
Moreover, some of these structures are key components of the brain’s reward system. In other words, some of the areas activated when a person gives love unconditionally are also involved in releasing dopamine, the chemical involved in sensing pleasure.
