Could helping your kid get into a better college be a simple as giving them a big hug? Well, probably not, but as Nicholas Kristof writes in a recent New York Times op-ed, snuggling with your kids, especially when they are babies is more than good for their hearts; it’s great for their brains, too.

According to Kristof, neurologists at McGill University noticed that baby rats whose mothers spent a great deal of time licking and grooming them grew up to be the most adept at finding their ways through mazes. What’s more, they were more socialble, more curious, and healthier than the other rats. It turns out that the nurturing they had received as infants had altered their brain anatomies, making them better able to control stress responses.

The effect isn’t just limited to animals, Kristof explained. Research has found that simply hugging, kissing, and nurturing children in their earliest years is one of the most powerful advantages a mother or father can provide a child. In fact, a University of Minnesota study found that “supportive parenting in the first few years of life was at least as good a predictor as I.Q. of whether he or she would graduate from high school.”

And that could have a real impact on a societal level. The more parents understand how integral their small actions are to their children’s future success, the more changes can be made, the more children can graduate high school and pursue further education, and the more people can break the chain of inherited poverty.

It’s not a pipe dream; it’s the power of small. There is potential in everything we do. For better or for worse, every single action we commit has an impact: a smile, a wave, a little idea. Everything we do creates an opportunity for something else to happen. So, don’t ignore the so-called small stuff. Pay attention to it, find the magic, and embrace it.