Study: Calling Mom Decreases Stress

Scientists and your mother agree: You should call home more often. A new study in Evolution and Human Behavior found that a phone conversation with mom lowers cortisol levels (a hormone related to stress), and boosts oxycontin (a hormone related to pleasure), according to The Washington Post.
Plus: Study Says at Least 2 Years Between Kids Makes Them Smarter

64 study participants, girls aged 7 to 12, were given a stressful test, and then split into four groups: one who talked to Mom face to face; one who called Mom; one with IM’d with Mom; and one who had no contact. Interestingly, although the effect was about the same whether the contact was face to face or via phone, IMing with mom provided little benefit. The study’s lead author, anthropologist Leslie Seltzer of the University of Wisconsin, tells Wired, “the results suggest that mom’s voice—its tones and intonations and rhythms, known formally as prosodics—trigger soothing effects, rather than what she specifically says.”
Plus: Study Says Two-Daughter Families Are Happiest

Do you find talking to your mom calms you down? Are you able to see the same effect in your own kids?