The effect of positive childhood experiences on happiness and social trust in adulthood

New research results in three countries with different cultures show that having love and support in childhood is related to increasing trust in others and strengthening the sense of social belonging in adulthood and can play a role in the formation of life satisfaction.

SiteTechDaily reported in a report:

How children are raised does not only determine their destiny; But it can affect the health of the whole society. Surveys conducted in three countries with different cultures show that children who grow up with support and love, trust others more as adults and feel a greater sense of belonging to their community.

When a child is upset or anxious at home, he seeks refuge with his parents or caregiver. Free play, when the child chooses how to play, also allows the child to explore the world. A study led by the University of Nottingham found that these experiences, along with a warm and loving home environment, were linked to better mental health later in life.

Why positive experiences are more important than the absence of negative experiences

Good childhood experiences contribute to mental health in adulthood, but it is not enough that a child does not have bad experiences. This finding shows that preventing injury alone is not enough.

In the UK, US and Japan, adults who received more support in childhood were healthier and happier, more satisfied with their lives and less anxious. This had an effect on their feelings towards others; For example, these people were more satisfied with their social relationships, felt a greater sense of belonging to their neighborhood, and trusted others more.

These findings, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, were the same in all three countries despite significant cultural differences. These relationships remained strong even after taking into account factors such as income and education; That is, they were probably not accidental.

Researchers examined these childhood experiences through the lens of the evolved nest. The evolved nest means the set of methods that human babies have needed during evolution for healthy growth.

Evolution means the gradual changes that occur in living species over thousands of years. Simply put, babies' bodies and minds have been shaped over thousands of years to expect to receive these procedures.

These methods include:

Frequent physical contact (such as hugging),

Multi-person care (that is, several family members participate in raising the child).

Researchers say these methods are vital for healthy growth. Dr. Eugene Malthouse, lead author of the study from the University of Nottingham's School of Economics, said: "We know that childhood experiences play a vital role in shaping mental health throughout life. Our study suggests that we need to look at how we raise children from an evolutionary perspective, because the environments in which we evolved as a species are very different from the environments in which many people live today.

A research group from the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Warwick and Osaka University, examined the responses of adults aged 18 to 34. Participants reported their childhood experiences and then answered questions about their current mental health.

Mental health means feeling good, satisfied with life and not having anxiety. Many of the questions used in this study are the same as those used by the UK Office for National Statistics in mental health assessments.

The childhood experiences of the participants could be divided into two categories, positive and negative. This allowed the researchers to differentiate between having supportive experiences and avoiding harmful experiences.

Much previous research emphasized avoiding negative experiences, but this study showed that positive experiences have a stronger relationship with mental health in adulthood.

The adults in this study remembered their childhood experiences by looking back on their lives. Because of this, these findings do not prove that childhood experiences actually caused these results. Other factors such as genetics or current living conditions may play a role in this relationship.

"Overall, our results show the importance of providing experiences that meet children's physical, psychological and social needs," says Malthus. It also suggests that the evolved nest is an appropriate framework for thinking about these experiences.

This study shows that positive childhood experiences, such as support, affection and opportunities for free play, are associated with better mental health, greater trust in others and a stronger sense of belonging in adulthood. According to the researchers, it is not enough to just prevent negative experiences; Rather, positive experiences should be created for children. These findings were the same across three countries with different cultures and show that the way children are raised can affect the health of society around the world.