Research
supports specific parenting practices as key to reducing mental illness
in our society. Aspects of these practices are often seen as cost
prohibitive or as sacrificing the success of the parents. On the
contrary, the paradigm science reveals can save billions of dollars by
being proactive and preventative. In this way, investing in quality
parenting will return dividends. When we redefine success to include
what sustains our humanity, the equation shifts, but in the long run, so
does the monetary balance sheet.
Reverse-Engineering Success
At EPI, we assert that our society’s most valuable resources are cultivated through the six Primal Parenting practices we promote. This is because “mental capital” is defined as encompassing both cognitive and emotional resources, including, as John Beddington, Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government, and Head of the Government Office for Science in the UK states: “flexibility and efficiency at learning; and emotional intelligence, social skills and resilience in the face of stress,” The definition of mental capital bears a striking resemblance to the outcomes of our six practices: Higher social and emotional intelligence, better learning and memory capacities, stress resilience, and greater compassion and cooperation. Mental capital is the very thing that will prove vital to the future success of nations. It’s what we are all after as a society—whether or not we are aware it. EPI promotes this awareness.
These attributes are In concert with the new views on epigenetic (beyond the genes) influence. The genetic contribution to mental capital is well below 50 percent in childhood, according to Beddington. And it’s only that high because of the intelligence component. Tease IQ out and the emotional and social capacities are even less genetically determined—hovering around 20-30 percent, if they exist at all. This is because even when looking at genes, as the burgeoning field of epigenetics reveals, we’re rarely looking only at genes: Genes are themselves inert. They do not act alone but require an interactive context of environmental influence, maturation, and action. Biochemistry, the microbiome, and toxicity, which tremendously affect mental capacity and well-being, are passed down from parents as well. These are what make problems inheritable, far more than genes. These are the real contributors to that 20-30 percent heritability. Add to that, even when a detrimental gene gets activated by the environment, a change in that environment—such as, perhaps, receiving exclusive and extended breast milk—can limit its influence on the child’s future mental well-being. Genes are not destiny.
All this means that mental capital is acquired mainly through parenting. Biologically-informed parenting practices confer the best chance for optimal development of mental capital within any given set of genetics. The earlier in the child’s life, the more critical this is, because the foundations of mental health and social and emotional capacities are forming. And this formative period is statistically better with Primal Parenting.
Resources:
Science Mommy blog post on the high-nurturing parenting investment: The Nurture Balance Sheet
Science Mommy blog post on the role of fathers in the economic equation: The Nurture Balance Sheet, Part 2
Reverse-Engineering Success
At EPI, we assert that our society’s most valuable resources are cultivated through the six Primal Parenting practices we promote. This is because “mental capital” is defined as encompassing both cognitive and emotional resources, including, as John Beddington, Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government, and Head of the Government Office for Science in the UK states: “flexibility and efficiency at learning; and emotional intelligence, social skills and resilience in the face of stress,” The definition of mental capital bears a striking resemblance to the outcomes of our six practices: Higher social and emotional intelligence, better learning and memory capacities, stress resilience, and greater compassion and cooperation. Mental capital is the very thing that will prove vital to the future success of nations. It’s what we are all after as a society—whether or not we are aware it. EPI promotes this awareness.
These attributes are In concert with the new views on epigenetic (beyond the genes) influence. The genetic contribution to mental capital is well below 50 percent in childhood, according to Beddington. And it’s only that high because of the intelligence component. Tease IQ out and the emotional and social capacities are even less genetically determined—hovering around 20-30 percent, if they exist at all. This is because even when looking at genes, as the burgeoning field of epigenetics reveals, we’re rarely looking only at genes: Genes are themselves inert. They do not act alone but require an interactive context of environmental influence, maturation, and action. Biochemistry, the microbiome, and toxicity, which tremendously affect mental capacity and well-being, are passed down from parents as well. These are what make problems inheritable, far more than genes. These are the real contributors to that 20-30 percent heritability. Add to that, even when a detrimental gene gets activated by the environment, a change in that environment—such as, perhaps, receiving exclusive and extended breast milk—can limit its influence on the child’s future mental well-being. Genes are not destiny.
All this means that mental capital is acquired mainly through parenting. Biologically-informed parenting practices confer the best chance for optimal development of mental capital within any given set of genetics. The earlier in the child’s life, the more critical this is, because the foundations of mental health and social and emotional capacities are forming. And this formative period is statistically better with Primal Parenting.
Resources:
Science Mommy blog post on the high-nurturing parenting investment: The Nurture Balance Sheet
Science Mommy blog post on the role of fathers in the economic equation: The Nurture Balance Sheet, Part 2