Parental response to baby cry involves brain circuits for negative emotion Distancing-Embracing.

The "art form" of parent-infant bonding critically involves baby conveying negative emotions - literally compelling parents to respond and provide care. Current research on the brain basis of parenting is combining brain imaging with social, cognitive, and behavioral analyses to understand how parental brain circuits regulate thoughts and behavior in mental health, risk, and resilience. Understanding the parental brain may contribute to solving the long-standing paradox of self-sought hedonic exposure to negative emotions in art reception.