New Study Suggests Parents With Sons May Face Faster Memory Decline Over Time

Whether it is a son or a daughter, raising a child is both challenging and satisfying as a human being. We already know that parents are the number 1 most influential people in the lives of young kids. They passed down their genetics and normally support and teach them during their developmental age.

However, have you ever asked the opposite? How does the child affect the parents over time? A new study has just come out suggesting that parents who have sons may face faster memory decline over time, and the reason is not exactly what you would expect.

What Was the Study About?

A large study was done by the National Library of Medicine to find out if having sons or daughters affects parents’ cognitive abilities. Over 13,000 parents in the U.S. who were 50 years or older participated, all have at least 1 child. It was also stated that 82.3% of the participants have at least 1 son.

They checked the memory and cognition every two years to see a pattern. The main theory they are trying to prove is that having sons might contribute more to the parents’ mental decline than having daughters.

Read more: National Library of Medicine

What Did the Scientists Find?

The scientists were successful in proving their main theory. Their results suggested that parents with at least 1 son have a slightly faster decline in memory and thinking capabilities compared to parents with only daughters.

It has also been found that the more sons a parent has, the faster their memory declines. The results have remained true for both parents, either the mother or the father.

Keep in mind that they did not compare parents with adults with no kids. The comparison was between older individuals who have already raised their children. The study’s limitation is that it did not take into account the possibilities or benefits to the mental and cognitive abilities of parents by having a child. Many other studies suggest a positive impact of having a kid on the overall well-being of a person.

Read more: Bright Side

Why Might This Happen?

There are several reasons why, but the main one might be because there is higher energy and resources are required for pregnancy for male offspring, as well as after birth. It also states that daughters often can give more emotional support and help their parents as they get older, compared to sons.

This support could prolong their mental well-being, which could explain the slight difference in parents with sons having faster cognitive decline. There have also been studies that were referenced in their article that mentioned parents with daughters are less likely to smoke, drink alcohol, or do drugs. All of which can help make mental abilities decline faster.

Author's Final Thoughts

This study suggests that having sons means that you are likely to have faster mental and memory decline as a parent down the line. It simply suggests that the family structure and relationships as human beings are a crucial predictor of the overall well-being of a person.

This article does not encourage anyone to only want daughters or hate having a son, as the study is limited to proving the original theory and does not go deeper into the opposite effects, such as that having sons can increase marital stability, greater parental engagement, and higher levels of happiness for parents.

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