Contagious crying – where one baby cries when hears another cry is now considered the first signs of empathy development.
Infant Behav Dev. 2010 Mar 31. [Epub ahead of print]
Contagious crying beyond the first days of life.
Geangu E, Benga O, Stahl D, Striano T. abstract here
- 84% of infants will cry in presence of crying infant – and generate facial expressions of distress
- can distinguish cries – baby chimp cries have less effect.
- similar reactions can be seen in older kids
- Was thought cry reaction lessens by age 6 months due to “emotional regulation” but this study found similar reactions up to 9 months of age.
Comment – Around here, it’s assumed cry-babies will be our future farmers (sorry guys). If indeed this represents emotional sharing in humans, then maybe the real cry-babies will become our future psychologist, and grief workers
Any thoughts?