PenPenWrites

The importance of being a grandparent: We don't just pass down family history and those fun stories about what life was like when we were young. We aren't there just to splurge on special gifts and indulge our grandkids in loving kindnesses. We are also a calming influence on the family. At least that's what brain scientists suggest.

In Barbara Strauch's The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain, recent studies by brain researchers have found scientific grounding for what's known as the "Grandmother Hypothesis." That is, humans and primates that had helpful, living grandmothers in their group live longer.

Part of their premise is that, as we get older, the amygdala part of our brain reacts less and less to negative things–unlike the way it reacted when we were younger. This may sound counter intuitive. After all, we as a generation–that is, as "older" people–have a reputation for being grouchy. Sometimes we are–the body as it ages can give us enough pain to make us whine and, given natural losses of friends and some functions, we may get lonely. But overall, our brains tend to bring us to the sunnier side. Here's what one researcher says about our "positivity effect:"

"…As we age we become much more aware that we have less time left in life–and it therefore becomes much more important for us to maintain emotional stability. One way to keep on an even keel is to steer clear of the bad and focus on the good. And, though we're not aware of it, we manipulate both our attention and our memory to suit that goal."

And voila: that makes us super-helpful to our families. "Grandmothers with a sunnier outlook," the brain scientists say, "give their families a greater ability to thrive and survive." Grandpops, too.

Who knew?