So you inherit these three wonderful traits only from your mother

Who knows you better than your own mommy? Exactly. No one. There is a scientific reason for that, it turns out.

Because we inherit exactly three nice things only from our mothers. And even if you look just like your dad, in terms of appearance, in terms of character... Even if you hang out with your dad, being such a daddy's child... There are certain things he had no influence on at all. No matter how much we want to be daddy's girls. For example, he has no influence on your IQ. Sorry, dad. It has been proven. How smart you are is mainly determined by mom's intelligence. A very complicated story about genes and DNA, but to put it simply, it means that intelligence cannot be inherited from both your father and your mother. And that the mother has the final say, so to speak.

Thanks, mom, for those brains. What else can you thank her for? Whether or not you get wrinkles at a young age. If you see that your mom's skin is still as smooth as a billiard table, then you can already celebrate joyfully. The chance is quite large that you too will get few wrinkles, or only at a much later age. If your mother has some lines on her face, then you know that you can't start applying that anti-wrinkle cream early enough. But there isn't much you can do about it in general. You are going to look like your mother. Really. In terms of appearance, for sure.

Then the last thing: keeping control. Do you like to keep everything in your own hands and find it difficult to let someone else do something for you? Or do you just like to let everything go YOLO and see where the ship of life ends up? Also inherited from your mother. If mothers like to keep control, they automatically pass that on to their children. Well, the environment always plays a role, right, in shaping who you are. That's how it is with being an adult and discovering who you really are: often half is determined by your genes and the other half by where you grow up and live. Something with nature and nurture, in psychology.

Well, something. It has been researched so often that it makes scientists dizzy. The most interesting is when identical twins are followed for a study. They share exactly the same DNA and thus the same genes, only their environment is different. Especially twins who have been separated at birth are fascinating in psychology. What turns out? Someone's environment plays a bigger role in how someone's personality develops, how happy someone is, and how that person approaches life. Flourishing careers, a vibrant love life, or a large group of friends around you... It all has to do with the place where you live.

So take a good look around you. Because you can't exchange your parents, even if you wanted to, but you can always do something about how you fill your life. And then quickly talk to your mother about that skincare. Because that is indeed your future.

FACTS

• In all the languages of the world, the word mother starts with the letter ‘m’
• A woman from India became a mother at the age of 72: she is thus the oldest mom ever. By the way, she already had 5 grandchildren at that time.
• Two out of ten children do not live with their biological father.