DESCRIPTION: What are the dangers of separating children from their caregivers? How does this early trauma impact lifelong wellness, or illness, for all homo sapiens?

Visit the nonprofit initiative at www.EvolvedNest.org.

About Darcia Narvaez, PhD

Darcia Narvaez is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame. Her prior careers include professional musician, classroom music teacher, business owner, seminarian and middle school Spanish teacher. Dr. Narvaez’s current research explores how early life experience influences societal culture, wellbeing and sociomoral character in children and adults. She integrates neurobiological, clinical, developmental and education sciences in her theories and research about human nature and human development.

She publishes extensively on moral development, parenting and education. Recently she has been studying the Evolved Nest and how it influences wellbeing, sociality and morality.

She hosts interdisciplinary conferences at the University of Notre Dame regarding early experience and human development (the talks and/or powerpoints are available online). In 2016, she organized a conference on Sustainable Wisdom: Integrating Indigenous KnowHow for Global Flourishing (talks available online).

She is the author or editor of numerous books and articles. Read her bio and blogs here: kindredmedia.org/author/darcia-narvaez-phd/

About the Evolved Nest

Every animal has a nest for its young that matches up with the maturational schedule of the offspring (Gottlieb, 1997). Humans too! The Evolved Nest (or Evolved Developmental Niche; EDN) refers to the nest for young children that humans inherit from their ancestors. It's one of our adaptations, meaning that it helped our ancestors survive. Most characteristics of the evolved nest emerged with social mammals more than 30 million years ago.

Humans are distinctive in that babies are born highly immature (only 25% of adult-sized brain at full-term birth) and should be in the womb another 18 months to even resemble newborns of other species! As a result, the brain/body of a child is highly influenced by early life experience.

Multiple epigenetic effects occur in the first months and years based on the timing and type of early experience. Humanity's evolved nest was first identified by Melvin Konner (2005) as the "hunter-gatherer childhood model" and includes breastfeeding 2-5 years, nearly constant touch, responsiveness to baby's needs, multiple responsive adult caregivers, free play with multiple-aged playmates, positive social support for mom and baby.

Calling these components the Evolved Nest or Evolved Developmental Niche, Narvaez and colleagues add to the list soothing perinatal experience (before, during, after birth) and a positive, welcoming social climate. All these are characteristic of the type of environment in which the human genus lived for 99% of its existence. Below are publications and a powerpoint about the evolved nest.

Why does the evolved nest matter? Early years are when virtually all neurobiological systems are completing their development. They form the foundation for the rest of life, including getting along with others, sociality and morality.

23. Dangers Of Separating Children From Caregivers; Evolved Nest with Darcia Narvaez, PhD

VENUS PELLAGATTI XTRAVAGANZA
ROBERT BROOKS
SAM NORDQUIST
AARON BUSHNELL
ELIJAH MCCLAIN
ANTEO ZAMBONI 
SUMMER TAYLOR
AHMED EREKAT
DOMINIQUE REM'MIE FELLS
SARAH GROSSMAN
JAMES SCURLOCK
DAVID MCATEE
EYAD AL-HALAQ
HECTOR GARCIA MENDOZA
GEORGE FLOYD
BREONNA TAYLOR
VICENTE RAMON GUERRERO
MARCI WISE
JOSEPH ROSENBAUM
ANTHONY HUBER
RIAH MILTON
TONY MCDADE 
EUGUI ROY
AHMAUD ARBERY
ASHLYNN LISBY
OLUWATOYIN SALAU 
VICTORIA SIMS
JOHANNA METZGER
ZEZICO GUAJAJARA
ISABEL CABANILLAS
DAVID GLEN WARD
TONY MCDADE
TIFFANY M. MOFIELD
KENNY RICHIE MARTY "MYLEZ" MITCHELL
NÉHÉMIE JOSEPH
NICOLA SACCO
BARTOLOMEO VANZETTI
ANNA LOPIZZO
ATATIANA KOQUICE JEFFERSON
CARY BALL JR.
ROXANA HERNANDEZ
JAKELIN CAAL MAQUIN
FELIPE ALONZO-GOMEZ
DREASJON "SEAN" REED
MCHALE ROSE
JANA LANGE
WILLIE MCCOY
MARIEE JUAREZ
OSMAR EPIFANIO GONZALEZ-GADBA
JEANCARLO JIMENEZ-JOSEPH
HUY CHI TRAN
KALIEF BROWDER
MI'CHANCE DUNLAP-GITTENS
SERGIO ALONSO LOPEZ
KAMYAR SAMIMI
JOSHUA BROWN
GEMMEL MOORE
TIMOTHY DEAN
SAHAR KHODAYARI
DE'VON BAILEY
TONY TIMPA
MARIA DEL PILAR HURTADO
EMILSEN MANYOMA
MOISÉS MOSQUERA MORENO
TEMISTOCLES MACHADO 
ELEAZAR TEQUÍA VITUCAY
HECTOR WILLIAM MINA
ELIJAH AL-AMIN
NINA POP
JENNIFER LAUDE
LAYLEEN POLANCO
PAMELA TURNER
CHYNAL LINDSEY
JOYCE FIENBERG
RICHARD GOTTFRIED
ROSE MALLINGER 
JERRY RABINOWITZ 
CECIL ROSENTHAL 
DAVID ROSENTHAL 
BERNICE SIMON 
SYLVAN SIMON 
DANIEL STEIN 
MOHAMMED ABU KHUDAIR
MOHAMMAD RAMIZ BAKR
AHED ATEF BAKR
ZAKARIYA AHED BAKR
ISMAIL MAHMOUD BAKR
MELVIN WAX 
TIMOTHY CAUGHMAN
LARNELL BRUCE JR
OSCAR JOSE FIGUERA
EMANTIC “EJ” BRADFORD, JR.
TENIYA JONES 
THURMAN BLEVINS
ALEX NIETO
WALTER LUEBCKE
ARMANDO FRANK
RACHEL ALIENE CORRIE
ANTWON ROSE, JR.
LINUS PHILLIP
DIANTE BUTCHIE YARBER
SAHEED VASSEL
DANA MARTIN
ASHANTI CARMON
CLAIRE LEGATO
RACHEL CORRIE
MUHLAYSIA BOOKER
KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN SR.
ADAMA TRAORE
MICHELLE "TAMIKA" WASHINGTON
JAQUARRIUS HOLLAND
DANNY RAY THOMAS
STEPHON CLARK
MARIELLE FRANCO
TOVEET RADCLIFFE
HEATHER HEYER
FRED HAMPTON
LAVENA LYNN JOHNSON
PHILANDO CASTILE
TAMIR RICE
DANROY HENRY
TRAYVON MARTIN
ERIC GARNER
MICHAEL BROWN
WALTER SCOTT
VIOLA LIUZZO
CLAUDIA PATRICIA GOMEZ GONZALEZ
RICKY JOHN BEST
TALIESIN MYRDDIN NAMKAI MECHE
FREDDIE GRAY 
ALTON STERLING
JORDAN EDWARDS
OSCAR RAMIREZ, JR.
LIGE DANIELS
JESSE WASHINGTON
JOSE ANTONIO ELENA RODRIGUEZ
SAM DUBOSE
HENRY SMITH
JOHN HARTFIELD
ELTON MITCHELL
T.A. ALLEN
THOMAS DEVERT
JOE SPINNER JOHNSON
LUTHER HOLBERT
JESSE THORNTON
WILLIAM LITTLE
JEFF BROWN
KEITH BOWEN
GENERAL LEE
THOMAS MILES
GEORGE DORSEY
DOROTHY DORSEY
TARIKA WILSON
DEAUNTA FARROW
SAM HOSE
PATRICK HARMON
SEAN BELL 
ANTHONY LAMAR SMITH
HENRY GLOVER
RONALD MADISON
TIMOTHY STANSBURY
ALBERTA SPRUILL
DEBORAH DANNER
OUSMANE ZONGO
ORLANDO BARLOW
PRINCE JONES
RONALD BEASLEY
EARL MURRAY
PATRICK DORISMOND
MALCOLM FERGUSON
JONATHAN FERRELL
DONTRE HAMILTON
JOHN CRAWFORD III
EZELL FORD
AIYANA JONES
OSCAR GRANT
DANTE PARKER
TANISHA ANDERSON
TYREE WOODSON
VICTOR WHITE III
YVETTE SMITH
MCKENZIE COCHRAN
JORDAN BAKER
ANDY LOPEZ
MIRIAM CAREY
DEION FLUDD
KIMANI GRAY
REYNALDO QUEVAS
SHANTEL DAVIS
TAMON ROBINSON 
SHEREECE FRANCIS
REKIA BOYD 
TROY DAVIS 
AMADOU DIALLO
RAMARLEY GRAHAM
LAQUAN MCDONALD
KENDRICK JOHNSON
LAVENA JOHNSON
MEDGER EVERS
ANDREW GOODMAN 
MICHAEL SCHWERNER 
JAMES CHANEY 
JOHN EARL REESE 
WILLIE EDWARDS JR 
MACK CHARLES PARKER 
MARSH COOK
JOHN BROWN
HERBERT LEE 
ROMAN DUCKSWORTH JR 
WILLIAM LEWIS MOORE 
ADDIE MAE COLLINS 
DENISE MCNAIR 
CAROLE ROBERTSON 
CYNTHIA WESLEY 
VIRGIL WARE 
HENRY HEZEKIAH DEE 
CHARLES MOORE 
LEMUEL PENN 
JIMMIE LEE JACKSON 
JAMES REEB 
ONEAL MOORE 
WILLIE BREWSTER
JONATHAN DANIELS 
VERNON DAHMER 
BEN CHESTER WHITE 
WHARLEST JACKSON
BENJAMIN BROWN 
SAMUEL HAMMOND JR 
DELANO MIDDLETON 
HENRY EZEKIAL SMITH 
NAT TURNER 
ANDY BURKE 
JOHNSON WHITTAKER 
ROBERT ROBINSON 
FRED ALEXANDER 
ROBERT TRUETT
L.B. REED 
CLINTON BRIGGS 
FRANK LIVINGSTON 
BUD JOHNSON 
LUCIUS MCCARTY 
POWELL GREEN 
EARNEST MCGOWAN 
LEE SNELL 
PRECIOUS GRANT 
HUGH JOHNSON
J.C. FARMER 
EUGENE BELLS 
TIMOTHY HOOD 
JAMES STEPHENSON 
ALONZA BROOKS 
DEJUAN GUILLORY 
ROCRAST MACK JR. 
JUSTIN THOMPSON 
DARRIUS STEWART

The Evolved Nest is a breakthrough concept that integrates findings across fields that bear on child development, child raising and adult behavior.  The Evolved Nest promotes optimal health and wellbeing, cooperation, and receptive and sociomoral intelligences. Societal moves away from providing the Evolved Nest have contributed to the ill being and dysregulation we see in one another and society. Learn how to nest your children and re-nest yourself.