Your Brain Wants Photos! What Science Says About Photography of Those We Love
As a photographer who captures some of the most special chapters of families’ lives from maternity to newborn portraits to family photos, I get to see the joy photography brings to families on a daily basis. In fact, one of the best parts of my job is seeing the pure happiness and love on clients’ faces when they see their portraits. And you don’t just have to take my word for it - there are numerous scientific studies that have noted how our brains react to sentimental photos. I always find these studies fascinating so let’s explore a few of them together.
Photos of Loved Ones Can Improve Your Comfort and Peace
If you’ve ever looked at a photo of someone you love or a family portrait and immediately felt more at ease, that’s neuroscience at work! It turns out that photos of people we love don’t just give us emotional comfort but physical comfort too. One study found that when participants were in pain and the researchers showed them photos of their romantic partners, their brain scans showed that their pain decreased. I’m not saying that if you hang a family portrait in your living room you’ll never mind stubbing your toe on the coffee table again, but the science supports that having photos of our loved ones around the house could give us some added day-to-day comfort physically and emotionally.
Photos Strengthen Our Memories
Did you know that when you forget something, it’s still stored in your brain, you’ve just lost the pathway to access it? That’s the case with everything from old addresses and phone numbers to precious memories of happy times with our families. The more you think about a memory, the stronger your ability will be to recall it.
It’s not surprising, then, that studies have found that looking at photos from beloved experiences with our families can not only remind us of those beautiful moments but strengthen our ties to those memories too so it’s easier for us to remember them in the future.
Photos of the Ones We Love Can Reduce Stress
You might have felt the effects of this one already, but it’s not just mind over matter - there’s real science behind it. Brain imaging shows that when we look at photos of people we love, it slows down the areas of our brain that are associated with stress. Maybe it’s because we feel the comfort of their love or maybe it puts things in perspective so whatever is stressing us out doesn’t seem so bad, who knows? But either way, on a difficult day, photos of loved ones can make a difference.
Family Photos Help Children Feel Loved and Included
Having family portraits in your home can help your whole family in the ways above, but they have special benefits for your kids too. According to licensed counselor Dr. Jaclyn Gulotta, kids who grow up seeing photos of themselves and their family throughout the home have a stronger sense of belonging and of being valued by their family. In that way, these portraits can send a deeper message than you might expect and they can stick with your child throughout their life.
How cool is all that? We all know we love seeing photos with the ones we love, but it’s fun to see the science that actually backs it up. If you’re due for some new portraits, contact Jaimié Birtel Photography, and let’s chat!
