The intricate dance between a mother and child extends beyond words and actions, reaching a remarkable synchrony in brain activity – even when those interactions occur in a language the mother learned later in life. New research published in Frontiers in Cognition demonstrates that this neural alignment, crucial for bonding and learning, isn’t diminished when mothers and their bilingual toddlers communicate in an acquired language.
This finding challenges previous assumptions about the importance of native language proficiency in fostering optimal parent-child connection. Interbrain synchrony, the simultaneous activity of neural networks between interacting individuals, is known to enhance emotional connection, communication, and shared attention. Researchers have long believed this “tuning in” of brains was vital for healthy parent-child bonding. Now, a team from the University of Nottingham in the UK has shown that this synchrony isn’t lost when a mother uses a second language.
The Neural Basis of Connection
“Here we show that the brains of bilingual moms and their kids stay just as ‘in sync’ through neural synchrony irrespective of whether they play in the mom’s native language or in an acquired second language,” explains Dr. Efstratia Papoutselou, a research fellow at the School of Medicine of the University of Nottingham and first author of the study. “This represents an important finding because it suggests that using a second language doesn’t disrupt the brain-to-brain connection that supports bonding and communication.”
The relevance of this research extends beyond academic curiosity. A growing number of children worldwide are raised in multilingual households. Data from the European Union, for example, indicates that the percentage of “mixed households” – those where more than one language is spoken – increased from 8% to 15.6% between 2014 and 2023. While the cognitive and social benefits of bilingualism are well-documented, questions remained about its potential impact on the nuanced communication required for strong parent-child relationships.
The authors note that even highly proficient second-language speakers often exhibit slower speech, more pauses, and more self-corrections when using a non-native tongue, particularly during emotionally charged interactions. They hypothesized that these linguistic differences might create a barrier to the seamless communication necessary for optimal bonding.
How the Study Worked
To investigate this question, researchers focused on 15 families in the UK where children, aged three to four, were raised bilingually. The mothers, while not native English speakers, possessed a high level of English proficiency (C1 or C2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
During the study, each mother-child pair visited a research clinic and engaged in play while wearing a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) cap. FNIRS is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that measures changes in blood oxygen levels in the brain, providing an indirect measure of neural activity. The pairs participated in three different play scenarios, presented in a randomized order: interactive play using the mother’s native language, interactive play exclusively in English, and a control condition involving silent, independent play separated by a screen.
Brain Activity Reveals a Strong Connection
The fNIRS measurements revealed statistically significant neural synchrony between mothers and children during interactive play, regardless of the language used. This synchrony was particularly pronounced in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region critical for decision-making, planning, reasoning, and emotional processing. Weaker synchrony was observed in the temporo-parietal junction, areas involved in social cognition and attention.
Importantly, the study found no significant difference in brain synchrony levels between the native language and English play scenarios. This suggests that the act of interactive play itself, and the emotional connection it fosters, is more important for neural alignment than the specific language used.
Implications for Bilingual Families
“The researchers concluded that talking in an acquired language didn’t impinge on a mom’s ability to synchronize her brain activity with that of her child during interactive play,” Dr. Douglas Hartley, a professor at the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and the study’s senior author, stated. “These results suggest that this key condition for effective learning and bonding can be met irrespective of language.”
This research offers reassurance to parents raising bilingual children, demonstrating that using a second language does not compromise the vital brain-to-brain connection that supports healthy development and strong family bonds. It reinforces the idea that bilingualism is not a hindrance, but rather a valuable asset that can enrich both cognitive abilities and emotional well-being.
