Some children are particularly vulnerable to stress. Nicole Strüber knows what this means for parents. It explains the interaction of genes and hormones in coexistence.
Neither of us know each other. Now when we talk to each other – what happens hormonally and in our brains?
Before such a conversation situation you are always a little nervous, which means that substances such as norepinephrine are released in the brain. This is the quick stress reaction, with a little delay the hormone cortisol is added, also a stress hormone that has an important job: it supplies our brain with energy, causes all areas there to work well together, so we can then do better in the here and now deliver.
That sounds exhausting.
But when we finally engage with each other in conversation, we release oxytocin. This ensures that we can grip each other better, synchronize our movements and speech, and interpret each other’s facial expressions better. It controls interaction in all social situations.
And this process is the same for all people?
In principle yes, but there are big individual differences. So that needs oxytocin
Source: Stern
