Sense of humor in babies: Read on to find out where babies learn humor from!
Have you ever wondered where you got your sense of humor from? Why is it that some people may find something absolutely hilarious while others find that very same thing disgusting?
A group of scientists at Cardiff University’s School of Psychology attempted to solve this mystery by researching on how babies learn humour.
So how exactly did the researchers conduct their experiment to find out where babies learn humor from?
How babies learn humor
In the experiment, the researchers told jokes to the babies and then measured their reactions. They found that babies are able to develop a sense of humor through a process of mimicry. Mimicry basically refers to the process of copying or imitating someone else, and so the researchers found that the babies learn humor by copying their parents.
It is quite normal for parents to speak in a different voice when they are joking with their babies but amazingly, they are unaware that this seemingly insignificant action is actually how babies learn to distinguish between what is funny and what is not!
Furthermore, researchers found that babies learn different types of humor at different ages. Researchers found that babies developed a sense of humor around 18-months old and by the time they turn two, they should be able to distinguish between things that are funny and things that are not. The researchers also discovered that babies are able to appreciate physical jokes by the age of one. By the age of six or seven, children are able to appreciate jokes involving word-puns.
Sense of humor in babies: Different tones convey when you are joking and when you are serious to your baby
Why humor is important
Knowing just where babies learn humor from definitely provides many benefits for today’s parents. Having a good sense of humor results in many benefits and here are 5 of them:
- Having a good sense of humor will make the individual more endearing to others.
- A good sense of humor can boost your confidence and thus, contribute to a healthier self-esteem.
- A good sense of humor can help to relieve stress and cultivate a more positive attitude.
- Developing a great sense of humor also contributes to being more emotionally healthy.
- Experts also suggest that humour can help to strengthen your body’s immunity.
How this helps parents
By understanding just where babies learn humor from, parents are able to help develop their child’s sense of humor. Taking note of the different stages of humor which children learn at, different ages can have a profound effect on developing your child’s sense of humor. Furthermore, parents now understand why they tend to speak differently when joking with their babies and thus, will feel less silly whenever they do it as they now understand the significance of it.
Do you joke with your baby? Tell us, we’d love to hear. Check out this hilariously adorable video of a baby laughing:
Also read: Your baby’s smile: what can it tell you about his development?
Republished with permission from theAsianParent Singapore