Joyful Connection

From about three months of age, a baby is constantly looking to visually connect with their “joy givers.” Those sweet smiles are one of the things that get haggard parents through the early months of parenting. Once joy reaches its peak, baby looks away to rest or re-set. Then they are ready to build joy again. This constant dance of joy and rest is God’s design as our brains grow. As needs are being consistently met, the baby’s brain grows the framework it needs for identity & joy.

But that’s not all. As baby is being attuned to, they are attaching to those meeting their needs. Attachment Theory is a relatively new field in the world of psychology. Only in the last few decades have we had the ability to look into the brain to learn how we attach.

Life Model Works has been studying and researching this from nearly the beginning. Stay tuned for my page on Attachment Basics for an overview, or visit LMW for more.

Good Chemistry

When you are with someone who is genuinely glad to be with you. Your left-eye and their left eye are sending messages at six cycles per second. This is happening from the relational right brain. This is faster than the conscious thought (or narrative) of the left brain. This kind of joyful transaction cannot be faked and it increases the good chemicals in the brain. Your brain chemistry changes when you are experiencing relational joy!

Not only do our brains need joy, they also need rest.