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In a world that often feels fractured and hurried, there exists a force so profound, so transformative, that it can literally heal both body and soul. This force is a mother’s love—a divine gift that mirrors the very essence of our Heavenly Parents’ love for us. Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared a remarkable story that beautifully illustrates this truth, bridging the gap between scientific discovery and eternal gospel principles.
The Rabbit Effect: When Love Becomes Medicine
In his address “Hearts Knit Together,” Elder Stevenson recounted a fascinating scientific experiment that would forever change how we understand the connection between love and physical health. Researchers studying the effects of high-fat diets on rabbits discovered something extraordinary—one group of rabbits, despite consuming the same unhealthy diet as the others, showed dramatically better health outcomes.
The difference? A single researcher who cared for this particular group did something the others didn’t. As Elder Stevenson explained:
“She did more than simply give the rabbits food. She gave them love!”
This loving caretaker held the rabbits, spoke to them gently, and showed them affection. At first, the scientific team struggled to believe that love could be the determining factor. But when they repeated the experiment, carefully controlling for every other variable, the results were the same. The rabbits who received loving care had “significantly higher health outcomes.”
This groundbreaking study was published in the prestigious journal Science, and its implications continue to ripple through the medical community. Dr. Kelli Harding’s book The Rabbit Effect takes its name from this very experiment, concluding that relationships and how we treat one another affect our health in the most meaningful ways.
A Mother’s Touch: The First and Most Powerful Healer
If simple kindness from a researcher could produce such dramatic physical healing in rabbits, imagine the profound impact of a mother’s love—that first relationship, that original source of comfort, that primary example of unconditional love in our mortal experience.
Mothers are everything. They are our first teachers, our first protectors, our first glimpse of divine love made manifest in mortality. From the moment we draw our first breath, a mother’s love begins its healing work. Her gentle touch soothes our fears. Her lullabies calm our anxious hearts. Her presence alone can transform a world of confusion and discomfort into a haven of peace and security.
Recent studies have shown that a mother’s love literally shapes our brains and bodies. Research from Washington University School of Medicine found that children who received more maternal nurturing in early childhood had larger hippocampal volumes—the brain region critical for learning, memory, and stress response. Another study published in Psychological Science demonstrated that maternal warmth in childhood is associated with better physical health outcomes decades later in adulthood.
The Divine Pattern of Maternal Love
Elder Stevenson’s insight that “kindness [is] a fundamental, healing gospel principle—one that can heal hearts emotionally, spiritually, and, as demonstrated here, even physically” takes on profound meaning when we consider it through the lens of motherhood. A mother’s love is perhaps the purest earthly manifestation of this divine kindness.
Consider the Savior’s own tender comparison of His love to that of a mother hen gathering her chicks (Matthew 23:37). Consider how the scriptures speak of comfort using maternal imagery: “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13). These are not mere poetic devices—they are divine acknowledgments of the sacred, healing nature of a mother’s love.
When Hearts Are Knit Together
The title of Elder Stevenson’s talk, “Hearts Knit Together,” perfectly captures what happens between a mother and child. From the moment of conception, their hearts beat in proximity, their lives intertwined in the most literal sense. But this knitting together extends far beyond the physical. It is a spiritual bonding, an emotional fusion that creates a channel through which healing love can flow throughout a lifetime.
Even in our adult years, when life’s storms rage and the world seems cold and unforgiving, a mother’s love remains a sanctuary. Her faith in us when we cannot find faith in ourselves. Her prayers ascending to heaven on our behalf when we’re too weary to pray. Her unwavering belief in our divine potential when we see only our mortal failings.
The Science of Love as a Healing Force
The rabbit experiment Elder Stevenson shared is just one of many studies confirming what mothers have always known intuitively—love heals. Research from UCLA shows that positive social connections, particularly those characterized by warmth and affection, can:
- Boost immune function
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduce inflammation
- Accelerate wound healing
- Decrease stress hormones
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Enhance longevity
A mother’s love provides all of this and more. It is preventive medicine, emergency intervention, and long-term therapy all wrapped into one divine gift.
Healing Through Generations
The healing power of a mother’s love doesn’t stop with one generation. Studies in epigenetics reveal that the love and nurturing a mother provides can actually influence how genes are expressed, potentially affecting not just her children but her grandchildren and beyond. A mother’s love literally has the power to heal generational wounds and establish patterns of health and wholeness for posterity.
Elder Stevenson observed that “in a secular world, bridges connecting science with gospel truths sometimes seem few and far between.” Yet in the study of maternal love and its effects, we find a magnificent bridge—one that confirms what the gospel has always taught about the eternal significance of mothers and the family.
The Ultimate Expression of Healing Love
Perhaps most profoundly, a mother’s love teaches us about the Savior’s love. Through her sacrifice, we begin to understand His. Through her forgiveness, we glimpse His mercy. Through her constant care, we experience a foretaste of His watchful eye that never sleeps nor slumbers.
When a mother kisses away tears, bandages scraped knees, or sits through long nights with a sick child, she becomes a living sermon on the healing power of the Atonement. Her love, like the Savior’s, has the power to make all things new, to transform sorrow into joy, to bring life where there was death.
A Call to Honor and Emulate
As we contemplate the profound truth Elder Stevenson shared—that love can literally heal—let us remember that this principle finds its most powerful expression in a mother’s love. Whether we are honoring our own mothers, supporting the mothers around us, or striving to show maternal compassion to those in need, we participate in this divine pattern of healing through love.
For those who may not have experienced this kind of love from their earthly mothers, the promise remains that our Heavenly Parents’ love encompasses all maternal and paternal perfection. The healing is still available, the love still real, the transformation still possible.
Conclusion: Love as the Ultimate Medicine
The rabbit effect teaches us a profound truth that mothers have always embodied: love is not merely an emotion or a nice addition to life—it is essential to our very survival and thriving. It is medicine for body and soul. It is the thread that knits hearts together across time and eternity.
As Elder Stevenson so beautifully demonstrated through this scientific study, the gospel principle of love—particularly as exemplified in a mother’s love—has measurable, demonstrable power to heal. It can lower our defenses against disease, strengthen our bodies against illness, and fortify our spirits against despair.
In a world that desperately needs healing, perhaps the prescription is simpler than we think. Perhaps it looks like a mother’s embrace, sounds like her voice singing lullabies, feels like her hand on our forehead checking for fever. Perhaps the healing of the world begins with recognizing, honoring, and emulating the divine love that flows through mothers—a love that science now confirms can work miracles.
May we all be instruments of such healing love, following the pattern set by mothers everywhere and ultimately by our Savior, whose perfect love has the power to heal every wound, mend every broken heart, and make all things whole.
For more insights from Elder Gary E. Stevenson, visit ChurchofJesusChrist.org. To learn more about the science of love and healing, explore Dr. Kelli Harding’s The Rabbit Effect.
