By Stephen Beech
Brainwaves of moms and children synchronise when they play together – even in a second language, reveals new research.
Scientists found that neural synchrony between a mother and her child doesn’t get lost in translation.
They explained that interbrain synchrony is the simultaneous activity of neural networks across the brains of people who are socially interacting – for example talking, learning, singing, or working together.
Previous studies have shown that having brains that are synchronized – or “in tune” – can help people boost their emotional connection, improve communication, and align their attention.
Neural synchrony is also thought to be important for healthy bonding between parents and children.
Now, scientists at the University of Nottingham have found that neural synchrony even breaks the language barrier.
Study first author Dr Efstratia Papoutselou said: “The brains of bilingual mums and their kids stay just as ‘in sync’ through neural synchrony irrespective of whether they play in the mum’s native language or in an acquired second language.
“This is an important finding because it suggests that using a second language doesn’t disrupt the brain-to-brain connection that supports bonding and communication.”
She said many children are raised in families where more than one language is spoken. For example, in the EU the percentage of such ‘mixed households’ increased from 8% to 15.6% between 2014 and 2023.
Dr. Papoutselou, a research fellow in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, and her colleagues wanted to know if multilingualism might pose a disadvantage when it comes to parent-child communication and bonding.
She explained that even highly proficient speakers tend to speak an acquired language slower with more pauses and corrections, especially in emotionally charged or cognitively demanding contexts.
Dr. Papoutselou said: “Second-language speakers often report a sense of emotional distancing when using their non-native language, which may influence how they express affection, discipline, or empathy in parent-child interactions.”
The research team focused on 15 families in the UK where children between three- and four-years-old had been raised bilingually.
English was not the mothers’ first language, but learned at C1 or C2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Each mother-child pair visited the research clinic and sat at a table with toys.
Both wore a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) cap to measure change in the oxygen concentration across the brain’s blood vessels – a measure of neural activity.
The participants were instructed to play according to one of three scenarios in randomised order: together in the mother’s native language as at home, together exclusively in English, or silently and independently from each other with a screen in between.
The fNIRS measurements showed statistically “significant” neural synchrony between each mother-child pair, which was stronger during interactive than during independent play.
Synchrony was especially strong in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, a hub for decision-making, planning, reasoning, and emotions.
It was weaker in the temporo-parietal junction regions which regulate social cognition and attention.
The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Cognition, showed that brain synchrony was equally strong when participants played in English as when they played in the mother’s native language.
The research team concluded that talking in an acquired language didn’t impinge on a mother’s ability to synchronise her brain activity with that of her child during interactive play.
They say their findings suggest that the key condition for effective learning and bonding can be met irrespective of language.
Study senior author Professor Douglas Hartley, of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, said: “Bilingualism is sometimes seen as a challenge, but can give real advantages in life.”
He added: “Our research shows that growing up with more than one language can also support healthy communication and learning.”
