This past week has been very interesting for my family. In my last blog, I wrote about the cure for bad days, but I’ll be honest: I’m still working on figuring out what to do with the ones that are so off the cuff that they leave me scratching my head.
After one of these interesting days, my husband and I sat silently on the couch. We felt pretty overwhelmed (and exhausted) from the day’s events, and neither of us had much to say. We resigned ourselves to a quiet night of watching our favorite shows. Yet, before we turned on the television, we heard the sweetest sound coming from our little one.
There he sat, in all of his 14-pound glory, head held high and giggling at my husband. Engaging with us via grins and coos, our little boy sat laughing and smiling without a care in the world. Quickly, we became enthralled by his happiness, which promptly replaced our once solemn attitudes. We were overjoyed by his sweet sound and also realized there wasn’t a care that mattered at the moment in our little world.
“Nothing else matters; this is all worth it,” my husband happily responded.
I didn’t know then, but I do now, that this feeling my husband and I experienced is not just a random occurrence. Hearing a baby’s laugh has been scientifically proven to alter our emotions and brain.
A 2011 National Library of Medicine study found that a baby’s laugh can increase oxytocin, a hormone that helps us trust, love one another, and build relationships.
The study polled women. However, the authors began sharing the study’s findings by stating, “Infant laughter is a rewarding experience. It activates neural reward circuits and promotes parental proximity and care, thus facilitating parent–infant attachment.”
The authors continued their research. They said:
“Elevated oxytocin levels reduced activation in the amygdala during infant laughter and enhanced functional connectivity between the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate, the hippocampus, the precuneus, the supramarginal gyri, and the middle temporal gyrus.”
Or, as an author of Psychology Today summarized the survey in an article, “[After] hearing a baby’s laughter, oxytocin led to reduced activation in the amygdala, a brain region involved in processing fear, threats, and anxiety.”
Isn’t that amazing?
The sweet little giggle of a growing baby has the potential to make us forget about all the worldly things that seem to make us fret!
Yet, this study combined with my little one’s sweet sound also reminded me how crucial these infant lives are to the world.
Nevertheless, many in the world are still trying to snuff those little laughs out – before they can ever be heard.
On March 11, the AFA team shared a Ben & Jerry’s post on their Facebook page. In its post, the ice cream company explained how “abortion care providers are being threatened across the country.”
I had no clue about the company’s involvement in such matters.
A quick Google search revealed that this company in particular was not just promoting exotic flavors. Instead, on their webpage, I found an article explaining the need for “reproductive justice,” as well as another article stating why the company stands to protect abortion providers.
Before seeing AFA’s post, I would have just thought that this company sold icy treats – not promoting an agenda to end the lives of precious little ones whose laughs fix fears and tears.
But another search led me to realize that Ben & Jerry’s isn’t the only company that supports this evil practice.
In December, Daily Citizen shared an article containing Fortune 100 companies that offer abortion benefits to their employees. Since the reversal of Roe, 42 of those 100 companies “publicly disclosed that their employment policies specifically include covering the costs of out-of-state travel for an abortion.”
The corporations include:
“Allstate, Alphabet/Google, Amazon, American Airlines, American Express, Apple, Bank of America, Boeing, Cardinal Health, Chevron, Cigna, Citigroup, Comcast, CVS Health, Dell, Disney, Elevance Health, Ford Motor, General Motors, Goldman Sachs Group, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, Kroger, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide, Nike, Nvidia, Oracle, Phillips 66, Procter & Gamble, Target, Tesla, Tyson Foods, UnitedHealth Group, Walgreens, Walmart, and Wells Fargo.”
And these are just the ones that blatantly showcase their beliefs on abortion benefits!
With a list this large it can be hard to pinpoint where and how to spend our hard-earned dollars, but as the AFA team shared concerning Ben & Jerry’s, “They’re not hiding it, and neither should we. Stop supporting companies that glorify abortion. Choose life.”
I can’t help but wonder what those in charge of making these company decisions would do if they heard the laugh of a little one.
I am certain that God-ordained sound of life and love would make a difference.
But we also have the potential to be the difference makers in our culture and for the unborn. The only question is, will we follow through?
