The Grandmother Effect
The "grandmother hypotheses" was coined by researchers in the 1960s who studied the impact of grandmothers on longevity among human beings. These researchers concluded that human beings experienced longer life expectancies compared to other primates (the so-called "grandmother effect") due to grandmothers' assistance with finding food for children, freeing the children's mothers to reproduce more frequently. Natural selection favored these larger families, including those members (i.e., the grandmothers) with genes for long life.
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The Grandmother Effect
Later researchers have questioned the grandmother effect, suggesting that grandmothers may have only a small impact on human longevity, and pointing out that other factors, including the lack of predation of human beings as well as advances in modern medicine, probably account for some of human being's longevity too, and the model has been criticized because it focuses only on mothers and grandmothers and does not discuss the role of men in human evolution.
Regardless of the veracity of the "grandmother effect," grandmothers undoubtedly play a vital role in families. A recent study from the UK found that one in three families benefit from assistance provided by grandmothers. This assistance comes in many forms, including domestic tasks like cooking and cleaning, childcare, as well as financial assistance. In many cases these grandmothers were also caring for other relatives.
Grandmothers and Happy Families
Bruce Feiler points out in his book The Secrets of Happy Families that grandmothers also play a special role in children's lives, namely being a source of unconditional love, affection, and yummy treats. Interestingly, children who had close relationships with their grandmothers also demonstrated better academic success.
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As a 40-something mother of two, I can attest to the role of grandmothers in my own life. Unfortunately, I lost both my both my own grandmothers before the age of 5 which, come to think of it, doesn't bode well for my longevity. However, as a parent I've experienced many if not all of the benefits noted above from my children's grandmothers, whether from a delicious meal that I didn't have to cook, free babysitting, or an extra special gift card. Evidence suggests that grandmothers may also benefit from (a degree of) participation in the lives of their offspring (though there is a tipping point, when demands decrease health and happiness, and grandmothers at lower SES levels tend to be less healthy and happy due to heavy caregiving burden with limited support). Grandmothers play a special role in families' lives, and can reduce the burden on young families with working parents and busy schedules. Isn't it nice to know they're good for our kids and boost their own happiness too?
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