There’s plenty of scientific evidence to support the idea that showing warmth and affection to children is important. Kids whose parents show them a healthy amount of affection have high self-esteem, good academic performance, and few psychological issues. Kids without affectionate parents have lower self-esteem and feel more alienated, hostile, aggressive, and anti-social. Researchers from Duke University Medical School found babies with more affectionate mothers grew up to be happier. 500 people were monitored when they were babies and then in their 30s. Whey they were 8 months old researchers analyzed how affectionate the babies' mothers were on a scale of 1-5. 30 years later these people were interviewed about their mental and emotional health. The people whose mothers had been extra affectionate in the initial study were far less likely to feel stressed and anxious. A 2013 study from UCLA supports these claims, it found that unconditional love from a parent makes children happier. Lack of affection can cause mental and physical problems for children throughout their lives if not properly dealt with.