I love my mom for many reasons. For starters, she gave me life. But she's also my best friend. She's radiant, kind, and hands down the funniest person you'll ever meet - all attributes I like to think she passed down to me. But her nervous system is not something I wanted to inherit. Unfortunately, genetics might have already played a heavy hand in that.
According to TikToker @sierraalexandraa, "from the moment we're in the womb, we're absorbing our mother's emotional state - her stress levels and even the way she regulates her own nervous system." This includes how her body subconsciously detects safety or danger in a process called neuroception. "If your mom was anxious, overwhelmed, or dysregulated, your nervous system likely wired itself to mirror that," Sierra says. If that's true - and it seems to be based on my own flight, fight, and freeze responses - I wondered if there was a way to reverse the genetic habit. Could you essentially rewire the brain to respond differently than your maternal inheritance would suggest? Here's what an expert had to say.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Natalie Jones, PsyD, is a licensed psychotherapist and advisory board member for PS's Condition Center.
Do We Actually Inherit Our Mom's Nervous System?
Potentially. "If you are biologically related to your parents, we have a 50/50 chance of inheriting their genetic makeup," says Natalie Jones, PsyD, licensed psychotherapist and advisory board member for PS's Condition Center. "If your parents have psychological or medical issues, you can genetically inherit those as well." Behavioral modeling is also a strong influence, she says. "If we grew up watching our parents behave in certain ways, we are also more likely to repeat what we see."
Research has also shown that the system responsible for emotional regulation may be passed down from mother to daughter. According to a small study of 35 families led by a University of California, San Francisco, researcher, the "structure of the brain circuitry known as the corticolimbic system is more likely to be passed down from mothers to daughters than from mothers to sons or from fathers to children of either gender." The corticolimbic system plays a huge hand in emotional regulation and processing, meaning that there's a chance this impacts neuroception too.
"Neuroception is the process of detecting and interpreting cues of safety and danger in the environment so that we can respond most appropriately in a way to ensure our survival," Dr. Jones says. "When neuroreceptors do not develop appropriately, either because of genetics or environmental influences, it can lead to various mental health issues, as well as making decisions that may not ensure our safety."
Is Inheriting Your Mom's Nervous System a Bad Thing?
Not necessarily. "We are more likely to inherit the good and the bad parts of our mother's nervous system," Dr. Jones says. "If your mother is calm, nurturing, and manages stress well, chances are you are likely to manage things in a similar fashion." That said, if your mother has a history of more negatively associated mental health symptoms (e.g., anxiety or depression) and those are genetically inherited, they can be harder to treat. Dr. Jones also notes that certain friends and relatives, including moms, can trigger symptoms if they are not well-managed or you're just starting treatment. So it's important to develop boundaries if you recognize this pattern.
Can You Change Your Inherited Nervous System?
Yes. Fortunately, the nervous system can be rewired. First, you have to acknowledge the concern and that you want to change it, Dr. Jones says. Once you do that, you can tap into the tools and resources that are available to you to help manage nervous system responses and mental health symptoms (think: therapy, podcasts, and books). It's also important to consider the people who are in your environment and whether they contribute to your symptoms and nervous system response. Distancing yourself from them or detaching entirely may be necessary, says Dr. Jones. A mental health professional can help you figure out which people may be triggers.
In some instances, like in the case of mental health conditions and inherited mood disorders, medication intervention and additional treatments may be beneficial. Talk to an expert if you feel like you are dealing with a more serious condition that's impacting your quality of life, rather than typical stress or anxiety.
Alexis Jones is the senior health and fitness editor at PS. Her areas of expertise include women's health and fitness, mental health, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, and chronic conditions. Prior to joining PS, she was the senior editor at Health magazine. Her other bylines can be found at Women's Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more.
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