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Maternal defense: breast feeding increases aggression by reducing stress.

Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook1, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Colin Holbrook

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. jhahn@psych.ucla.edu

Psychological Science
|August 30, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Breast-feeding mothers show increased aggression to protect their infants. Lactation may reduce stress responses, disinhibiting this protective maternal aggression.

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