A new British study announced Monday finds that women who live near their mothers are more likely to become moms themselves.
University of Essex researchers said that one reason may be that relatives nearby can help with childcare, which may boost a woman's psychological state and thereby improve her fertility, reported The Telegraph.
Another reason is that mom's influence can be a big motivator, or pressure, to have kids.
Researchers looked at several studies carried out on nearly 2,000 British women where records were kept on their fertility but also their lifestyle, health and social status.
"We were surprised that we actually found a significant effect," said study researcher Dr. Paul Mathews. "We thought that maybe there might be a relationship, but we were surprised that the relationship remained even after we control for a whole myriad of social and economic background factors."
© AFP/Relaxnews 2013