<p>Researchers have carried out the study and found that hearing mother's voice can quickly calm frayed nerves -- and a telephone call often has the same effect as a hug, the 'Daily Mail' reported.<br /><br />The findings could help explain why mother is often the first person people, even adults, turn to in tough times.<br /><br />For the study, the researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison looked at the role of oxytocin, a hormone involved in sex, sexual attraction, trust and confidence.<br /><br />Known as the "cuddle chemical", it's released into the blood during labour -- triggering the production of breast milk -- and floods the brain during breast feeding, helping mother and baby bond.<br /><br />It also, it seems, is key to a mother's ability to calm her kid relieving stress when it is released in children.<br /><br />The researchers made a group of seven to 12-year-old girls perform a speech and solve a series of maths problems in front of a panel of strangers. That sent the children's hearts racing and levels of cortisol -- a hormone associated with stress -- soaring. <br /><br />Once stressed, a third of the girls were comforted in person by their mother, a third told to speak to her on the phone and a third given a film to watch. Levels of oxytocin rose quickly in those who saw or spoke to their mothers, the findings revealed.<br />And, to the researchers' surprise, within an hour, the girls who phoned their mothers were just as calm as those who were comforted in person.<br /><br />"It was understood that oxytocin release in the context of social bonding usually required physical contact. But it's clear from these results that a mother's voice can have the same effect as a hug," lead researcher Leslie Seltzer was quoted as saying.<br /><br />The findings have been published in the 'Proceedings of the Royal Society B' journal.</p>
<p>Researchers have carried out the study and found that hearing mother's voice can quickly calm frayed nerves -- and a telephone call often has the same effect as a hug, the 'Daily Mail' reported.<br /><br />The findings could help explain why mother is often the first person people, even adults, turn to in tough times.<br /><br />For the study, the researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison looked at the role of oxytocin, a hormone involved in sex, sexual attraction, trust and confidence.<br /><br />Known as the "cuddle chemical", it's released into the blood during labour -- triggering the production of breast milk -- and floods the brain during breast feeding, helping mother and baby bond.<br /><br />It also, it seems, is key to a mother's ability to calm her kid relieving stress when it is released in children.<br /><br />The researchers made a group of seven to 12-year-old girls perform a speech and solve a series of maths problems in front of a panel of strangers. That sent the children's hearts racing and levels of cortisol -- a hormone associated with stress -- soaring. <br /><br />Once stressed, a third of the girls were comforted in person by their mother, a third told to speak to her on the phone and a third given a film to watch. Levels of oxytocin rose quickly in those who saw or spoke to their mothers, the findings revealed.<br />And, to the researchers' surprise, within an hour, the girls who phoned their mothers were just as calm as those who were comforted in person.<br /><br />"It was understood that oxytocin release in the context of social bonding usually required physical contact. But it's clear from these results that a mother's voice can have the same effect as a hug," lead researcher Leslie Seltzer was quoted as saying.<br /><br />The findings have been published in the 'Proceedings of the Royal Society B' journal.</p>