Babies would keep their character traits as adults

According to a study by American researchers, certain behaviors of 14-month-old babies could help predict some traits of their adult personality.

A study, conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland, of the Catholic University of America and National Institute of Mental Health, looked at 165 babies aged 14 months to assess a specific type of temperament in the young, namely theinhibition behavioral (CI). Infants and children who display this trait tend to be careful or even fearful of people, objects and situations they do not know. Previous research has shown that children with behavioral inhibition are more likely to develop social isolation and impairedanxiety than children without inhibition.

To analyze their development, the researchers evaluated 115 of the aforementioned children when they reached 15 years of age and 109 at the age of 26. The researchers evaluated their psychopathologies, their personality, their social functioning and their academic and professional results.

Behavioral inhibition in very young children

Their conclusions, taken up by the review Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, have shown that infants affected by behavioral inhibition tend to display personality no longer reserved for the age of 26. They also reported fewer romantic relationships in the previous ten years and fewer social and family interactions than subjects without CI. On the other hand, behavioral inhibition was not linked to academic or professional results. Scientists have also found that children more prone to error at the age of 15 are at an increased risk of internalizing disorders such as anxiety and depression adulthood.

For early detection of the risks of disorders in adulthood

" While many studies link the risk of psychopathology to the behavior of small children, the results of our study are unique Said Daniel Pine, one of the study's authors. " This is because our study assessed temperament very early in life, linking it to outcomes occurring more than 20 years later (…). " The researchers explain that their results could help simplify the early detection of risk in some individuals who may develop disorders in adulthood. " We have studied the biology of behavioral inhibition over time and it is clear that it deeply influences development Added the author Dr. Nathan Fox, but added that more research, especially on larger and more diverse groups of people, was needed.

This will also interest you

"Children's brains, endless potential?" ": Learning to be In this extract from the documentary Children's Brain, endless potential? by Stéphanie Brillant, broadcast by Jupiter Films and released in France on May 23, Allan Shore, American psychologist, talks about the importance of the mother-child relationship in brain development. With the infant, he explains, the interaction is gestural and behavioral: the mother has nothing to do but be herself so that the baby learns to be, too.