Early-life stress can disrupt maturation of brain’s reward circuits
This resonates with my experience of learned helplessness, especially when instilled within the first two years of life.<p>The analogy that comes to mind is how a baby elephant, tied to a stake, can&#x27;t escape the rope and eventually accepts he is stuck where the rope lets him wander. As the elephant grows large enough to overpower the rope and walk away, he has already stopped trying, so he remains stuck.<p>I&#x27;m not sure if this is a true story,  but it stays with me.<p>It seems reasonable to conclude there is a physical impact on brain development.