2023-06-28 11:01:57
The child throws a tantrum every night, when you have to give the tablet and go to bed? Or only with a scandal refuses his favorite sweets? Every parent is familiar with this.
Scientists claimthat it’s all about dopamine – a neurotransmitter that is produced in the human brain and serves as an element of the “reward system” of the brain. Scrolling through social media feeds, watching cartoons, or eating “bad” food triggers the production of this substance in the child’s brain, so if you try to abruptly interrupt these activities, you may encounter strong resistance – dopamine levels are still high. .
It seems that scientists have figured out how not to bring things to tears and outbursts of anger, or at least significantly reduce the number of tantrums.
Interesting on the topic
5 situations in which a child is most likely to throw a tantrum
Dopamine is part of the neural circuit, a neurotransmitter that has been formed in the process of evolution and is necessary for us to survive. There is a common misconception that dopamine is the happiness molecule. But modern research shows that dopamine does not make us feel happy – it provokes desire in us. “Dopamine makes us want things,” says neuroscientist Anne-Noel Samaha of the University of Montreal. “Because of the release of dopamine, a person begins to look for something or continues to do what he is doing, even if he already does not really like it.”
Therefore, the child protests when you take away the tablet from him, although his eyes are already sticking together. The mother who takes the tablet is not fighting the child herself, but the chemicals in her brain, and this is an unequal struggle.
This knowledge can help parents avoid many of the conflicts around cartoons, video games, and junk food. In Western sources, this is called “anti-dopamine parenting.”
What do his followers advise to do?
The effects of the dopamine release wear off quickly. So if you remove the trigger – the leftover cake or tablet – from the field of view and wait two to five minutes, the momentum is significantly weakened. Leaving a desired object in plain sight can start the cycle of wanting and waiting again.
Between pleasant and less pleasant activities (watching cartoons and brushing your teeth), you can introduce a “buffer activity” so that the transition is not very abrupt. Five to 15 minutes of reading or walking will enough.
Interesting on the topic
What happens if you leave a child alone with a whole bowl of candy? Personal experience of a mother who took a chance
Different children may be more or less attracted to different activities. Someone cannot be torn away from cartoons, someone from video games.
The parent needs to understand what kind of activity gives his child enough dopamine (not too much and not too little). You can evaluate this by the reaction: if the child feels better after stopping the session, then you have found a healthy source of dopamine. If the child feels bad and his behavior worsens, there is a risk that over time he will earn something like an addiction – he will begin to get involved in this matter more often and for longer periods, to lose control.
TO healthy sources dopamine levels, in addition to those that you will determine in your child empirically, also include physical activity, meditation, sleep, listening to music, communication and time in nature. From food – protein, colorful vegetables and fruits, dark chocolate.
Sometimes parents think that it is better to let the child play video games or surf social networks for as long as he wants – anyway, at some point he will get tired and stop. But it’s not.
Over time, some people’s brains become more sensitive to dopamine from certain activities. The more a person engages in it, the more he will want to continue, even if at some point he stops enjoying it.
So parents should limit the frequency and duration of such activities. Also, do not rush to show your child a new gadget, application, or treat him to a new type of junk food.
Interesting on the topic
How and when can children watch cartoons? Pediatricians, ophthalmologists and psychologists answer
Designate a place in the house where the child can play video games. For example, it could be one room. Set rules: for example, no gadgets in the bedroom, in the kitchen, during lunch, or in the car.
Set a schedule for when your child can play or watch cartoons. Don’t let this period be too long. The rest of the time, the device should be out of the child’s reach. Alternatively, do a digital detox where the whole family refuses to use phones and tablets for one day a week. Problematic food can not be kept at home. Ice cream and cakes can be eaten in patisseries.
It can be difficult for children to get used to the new rules, but over time it will happen.
Instead of completely forbidding a child to do something, come up with a more meaningful option. For example, instead of a regular shooting game, you can offer your child a video game that develops cognitive and social skills.
If the child has a lot of interesting activities that are not related to gadgets, his craving for them will become less. Take the whole family for walks, teach your child to knit, get an animal that he will need to take care of. The choice is inexhaustible!
1688017087
#antidopamine #parenting #save #childhood #tantrums