Mama's boys: Pass on that pacifier

I'm just not sure how to react to this one. News flash: Pacifiers may be bad for babies, but only boys. Why can girls keep them? Because we communicate better, of course.

Now parents of fussy infants, don't fret. You don't have to toss the binky out with the bathwater. Occasional use is just fine, according to the study's authors. It's when they're relied upon that pacifiers become a danger to male expression, emotional maturity, and future relationships.

I thought the relative immaturity in young (well, under 40 anyway) males had something to do with neural impulses across the corpus callosum, which bridges the two halves of the brain. Old research illustrated that the two hemispheres in males communicate less with each other, by comparison to female brains. Well maybe, but...

I'll back up a bit. University of Wisconsin scientists conducted experiments. The first evaluated 100 6- and 7-year-old boys. Those who had "heavy" pacifier use as infants tended to be less mature, less communicative, and were worse at mimicking emotions. The researchers also interviewed 600 college students. College-aged men whose parents reported relying on pacifiers scored lower on tests measuring empathy, emotional intelligence, and ability to evaluate the moods of others.

For little girls and women, the researchers found no difference in emotional maturity based on pacifier use. The study was published in the Sept. 18, 2012 issue of the journal "Basic and Applied Social Psychology" and has already stirred the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics to call for limiting pacifier use.

This study is the first to link social behaviors to pacifiers, although they have previously been connected with increasing rates of ear infection and dental problems.

At the heart of the binky barrier is mimicry: We need it. Babies are copycats; that's how they learn things. So when the mouth is plugged and facial muscles are engaged in suction efforts, they're not free to mimic expression, an act which also evokes feeling in babies. This retards emotional and social development and, apparently, compassionate tendencies in future life. Language skills help as they become acquired, but visual cues remain important to child development far longer.

Back to the girls and la difference, the old idea of brain dissimilarities may yet apply. Another theory is that female babies may have already developed enough emotionally before pacifier use to make up for any detraction. Yet another suggestion concerns the rest of us, and what we expect from or encourage in males vs. females, throughout life.

The irony? All this was spurred by scientific observations of Botox recipients. Ever notice a screen actress, before and after a lip-puffing? Far less range of expression.

"That work got us thinking about critical periods of emotional development, like infancy," lead researcher and psychology professor Paula Niedenthal told University of Wisconsin-Madison News. "What if you always had something in your mouth that prevented you from mimicking and resonating with the facial expression of somebody?"

Now consider the other side of the study's conclusion. If pacifiers go by the wayside, what's the substitute? Before binky was booby. So next time you see a mother comforting her infant this way, think twice before comment. Her on-the-spot nursing may ensure the emotional maturity of your future son-in-law, employee, or senator.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at sholehjo@hotmail.com.