The Laughing Baby: The extraordinary science behind what makes babies happy

by Caspar Addyman

The laughter of tiny babies is endearing, entrancing and infectious. Powerful enough to reinvigorate even the most weary parent, it is also a fascinating window into what they are learning. Long before they can talk, babies communicate their experience of the world through laughter and tears. Until now, however, psychologists and parenting experts have largely focused on moments of stress and confusion. Dr Caspar Addyman is a developmental psychologist who decided to change that. For six years Caspar has run the Baby Laughter project, collecting data, videos and stories from parents all over the world. He learned that laughter and smiles are of central importance at the start of life, defining our cognitive and emotional development. Squeals of joy accompany all of a baby’s little breakthroughs, connecting them to their nearest and dearest. The Laughing Baby is the culmination of Caspar’s research. Moving chronologically through the first two years of infancy, it shows how babies provide the origin story for our incredible abilities, and how understanding them is key to understanding ourselves.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Audiobook

ebook

Published April 16, 2020

Reviews

[Catherine Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the development of babies, and why they laugh.

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

With my sister imminently due to give birth, I read The Laughing Baby to feel involved and learn a little. I was interested that the book was published by Unbound, a company I’ve supported several times in the past. I also found out that Caspar Addyman used to work at the Birkbeck Babylab and I recently trained in neonatal first aid alongside a group of researchers from there.

I learnt an awful lot. How much of it I retained, I’m not really sure. The main thing I took away is that we are surprisingly ignorant about how we work, adult or baby. The other is about how amazing babies are and how much they learn.

I learnt that babies dream more than adults, that they have shorter arms comparatively to their bodies and hold things closer to them, that they get bored from over repetition and that babies with tall mothers have a slower natural rhythm (because it’s the mother’s walking rhythm).

I enjoyed the chapter about peekaboo and how it’s like a conversation without words. I also enjoyed the man called Felix who pretends to be clumsy to see if babies help them…. “You can see the babies do not entirely believe in his incompetence but are prepared to humour him.”

l also learned that English didn’t have the word bored until 1853 and that Goldilocks was originally an old woman called Silverhair.

In general, Addyman writes in a very funny style. There’s a section about a certain bestselling toy entitled ‘Elmo, Tickle Thyself”, and a wonderfully scathing look at pleasure; “Economists and philosophers do get very excited about pleasure but I suspect this is mostly a reflection of how dull it is to be an economist or a philosopher.” I love anyone who slags philosophers off as a species.

What I most loved were the positive notions about the human race. There’s a whole, lovely element about babies getting into the flow and having a “deep existential satisfaction” at being in that flow-state of learning and exploring. I also loved the experiments that point to the notion that “babies are good people.”

I’m sitting here, tapping away as my 3 day old niece sleeps peacefully. I can’t say Addyman’s book has helped me make her laugh or smile, she’s a little young for it anyway. But I look forward to watching her develop and I have a bit more of a sense of what is happening.

[Boris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun research turned into a book. Like many other books in this field, it is written so it makes a lot of sense, and is backed up by gathered data. Not sure if it is credible, but makes you think about good and positive stuff, so it's something. Fun read no question!

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting book. I just felt like it wasn't just about laughing. Lots of studies explained, might be a bit too much sometimes.

[Vilde Bratland Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant om babyers utvikling, men den ble liiitt for farging og detaljert for min smak. Kunne gjerne vært 100 sider kortere!