Not your Imagination: Babies are Adorable but There's More
Babies are totally adorable and it’s not for nothing. They are also pretty interesting from the get-go, if you are paying attention. Starting with infancy, little babies and toddlers are way smarter than we may think. In fact, there is a good chance your little bundle of joy is both cuter and smarter than you.
In What Ways and Why are Babies so very Adorable?
Rare is the person who can resist the feeling of being overwhelmed by cuteness at the sight of a baby. Scientists have found that traits babies possess set off brain triggers that fill us with joy. The following are some of the baby cuteness factors that set off our gushy, attentive responses:
- Babies have large eyes because when they are born, their eyes are already fully grown. We look at them and instinct kicks in to make us realize that babies are so precious, perhaps not even knowing the eyes have a lot to do with it.
- Babies also have large brains at birth. That’s why their heads are large and rounded. Their brains also have some growing to do.
- Babies have large foreheads, which also happens to be a trait that most women considered beautiful seem to have in common.
- Babies have soft skin that snaps right back into place after we pinch their chubby little cheeks.
- The compact little bodies of babies are rounded like Weebles, those toys from the 1970s that wobble but won’t fall down. Babies, however, do fall down. So be careful.
And why do babies have above-named adorable features? It’s actually a biological phenomenon! Babies are unable to survive without the care of adults. We are all naturally hard-wired to be drawn to babies like magnets and focus our energy and attention on providing them with care and protection.
Your Baby May also be Smarter than You
For those who have considered babies little more than cute, loud, and messy bundles, get ready for a wake-up call. Babies have a lot going on upstairs. Just because they haven’t mastered the language yet doesn’t mean their brains aren’t going 90 to nothing. Some studies have concluded that the rate at which baby brains grow is astonishing. Their brains have twice the connections between brain cells that the average adult has. Here are a few things babies or toddlers can do that may surprise you:
- From as young as 6 months old, babies understand the words for various objects.
- Infants pick up on mood swings in others and in music.
- Babies understand fairness and unfairness perhaps as early as 15 months old.
- Babies have proven in studies to appreciate it when proper discipline is administered.
- Toddlers feel happy when they share.
- Music is like putting a baby’s brain on steroids. Please note: It has been determined that playing an instrument during childhood reduces the risk of developing dementia in the latter years.
- Babies recognize when they are hearing a different language being spoken.
So now you know. Babies really are irresistible. That’s why parents are so proud of their little princes and precious princesses and buy onesies that say so. But babies also have amazing brains that pick up on things from an early age. So your baby really is worth bragging about to whoever will listen.
