Hey there! Welcome to Life Noggin!
One of my friends, illymation said it’s inevitable that we turn into our parents as we get older,
now for me that isn’t true otherwise I’d be slowly turning into this weird flesh monster,
but it got me thinking…how much of your parents do you actually become? Sure you may end up
looking like your parents as you get older…but what about the stuff we can’t see.
To help me with this video, I brought the friend who asked me that question!.
Say hello Illy!
Ilyssa: Oh hey Blocko! Um, I didn’t know I was doing a video
with you. I just asked the question because I don’t know the answer.
Blocko: I know, but every millennial I asked to be in this video was too scared of this question.
Ilyssa: I don’t really know too much about the subject though…
Blocko: Oh don’t worry. I have the file right here.
Ilyssa: Ow! That kinda hurt my head. I suddenly know so much more than I ever needed to!
Blocko: I’d say that sums up this channel pretty well! You rest your head. I’ll go first.
We get a lot from our parents–eye color, height, even certain illnesses.
We inherit these traits through the DNA we receive from them. But our likeness
to our parents doesn’t end with our genetic code.
Researchers have found that we can receive much more than their genes,
we can also inherit the effects of their trauma. A paper published in 2017 reviewed 20 studies that
evaluated the intergenerational trauma experienced by refugee families. These studies measured the
prevalence of mental illnesses among the offspring of survivors of the Holocaust,
Southeast Asian wars and the Cambodian genocide, and conflict in the Middle East.
Compared to control groups, these children had higher rates of depression,
post-traumatic stress disorder, and mood and anxiety disorders.
One of these studies also found that the effects of parents’ trauma can occur even after many years
have passed. In this study, the occurrence of PTSD symptoms in Vietnamese fathers in the year
after their emigration predicted their childrens’ mental health 23 years later.
And, in an unrelated study published in 2014,
researchers looked at just how far intergenerational trauma can extend.
In this study, the researchers made mice fear a certain odor by shocking them whenever the
smell was present. When their children, and even grandchildren, smelled this odor,
they exhibited the same fear response as their parents and grandparents–without the shock.
Ilyssa: Generally,
mental illnesses and phobias are thought to have an inherited genetic component,
where a permanent change in the DNA sequence, called a gene variant,
can make someone more likely to develop a certain mental illness or phobia.
But scientists believe there are other factors at play beyond altered DNA, such as our environment.
This includes social factors in our environment, like our relationships with our parents,,
which has been found to play a big role in intergenerational trauma.
Several of the included studies that were in the 2017 review paper attributed poor
familial relationships as a mechanism in which trauma was passed down to the next generation.
For instance, one study found that communication problems within these
families were associated with higher levels of secondary traumatic stress.
Another study found that the children were more likely to experience emotional abuse and neglect,
which in turn led to the development of PTSD,
which their parents typically suffered from as well.
Dude, this video is like a PSA for therapy.
Blocko: Yeah…but learning is fun weee!
Another mechanism being explored is epigenetics, which takes these
environmental factors a step further by looking at how they impact the way our genes function.
You see, the things we experience in our environment, like toxins or stress,,
alter the molecules that control the expression of our genes–making them more or less active.
Some scientists believe that these molecular changes might be able to
be passed down to one's' offspring, resulting in the development of similar illnesses or phobias.
Researchers are still investigating exactly how or if this happens,,,
but either way, it’s clear that we have way more in common with our parents than we may think.
Ilyssa: Okay, this was actually kinda fun to do. Thanks for having me on!
Blocko: No problem! Thanks for being here!
Ilyssa: But I would appreciate getting this info out of my head now?
I feel like I know too much about how eels mate.
Blocko: Oh sure. Animator begin the info extraction process.
Ilyssa: Ooh. Can you remove my middle school file too?
Blocko: Unfortunately no. Those memories are triple encrypted with a cringe wall.
Blocko: So do you think you’re becoming like your parents? Are you working hard to break that cycle?
Let me know in the comment section below! Let's get real. It’s not therapy, but it might help!
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Click here to watch this video on strict parents or click here to watch this video!
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