• Mother-daughter neural synchrony during observational emotional learning assessed via fNIRS hyperscanning. • Enhanced synchrony in right inferior frontal gyrus at 0.25–0.38 Hz during passive observation. • Mother-daughter synchrony and maternal marital satisfaction associated with daughters’ emotional symptoms. • Neural mechanism supports observational pathway in emotion socialization. Mother-daughter neural synchrony during observational emotional learning assessed via fNIRS hyperscanning. Enhanced synchrony in right inferior frontal gyrus at 0.25–0.38 Hz during passive observation. Mother-daughter synchrony and maternal marital satisfaction associated with daughters’ emotional symptoms. Neural mechanism supports observational pathway in emotion socialization. Parental influence on children’s social-emotional development is well-documented, yet underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Using fNIRS-based hyperscanning, we examined mother-daughter brain synchronization during an observational task where children (N = 37, age 6.92 ± 0.75) passively witnessed parental communication about marital intimacy. Results revealed significant mother-daughter neural synchrony in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)/pars triangularis—a region encompassing Broca’s area involved in both language comprehension and social-emotional processing. Critically, greater neural synchrony, together with higher maternal marital satisfaction, was associated with lower daughters’ emotional symptoms, suggesting potential protective effects on emotional adjustment. Our findings offer valuable insights for interventions aimed at enhancing children’s emotional socialization and mental health.
Wang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.