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If the child is in a group of other humans, the louder it cries the more likely it is to be noticed. The more annoying the cry is to other people, the more like
by pilif 13y ago
If the child is in a group of other humans, the louder it cries the more likely it is to be noticed. The more annoying the cry is to other people, the more likely it is to get help.
Humans always lived in groups, so being loud and annoying has huge evolutionary advantages over being quiet.
- guard-of-terra 13y agoThey mostly cry without any reason watsoever. Even today children crying gets them shaken violently in some cultres. I can't imagine pre-historic humans to be more well-tempered and tolerant than today. It doesn't make sense.
- taway2012 13y ago> They mostly cry without any reason watsoever. Hmm, I'm guessing you are child-free? In my experience, it's not normal for a baby to cry for no reason. I'm only replying to present a diff. point of view in case people go away thinking it's normal for a baby to cry for no reason.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- rayiner 13y ago> They mostly cry without any reason watsoever. Not really, it's just that we find it difficult as adults to empathize enough to understand what's bothering them. Children cry because they're hungry, because they've got gas, because they're sick or uncomfortable, because they're overstimulated, or because they're bored. Since they eat every few hours, have developing digestive systems, have developing temperature regulation systems, and have no internal monologue and short attention spans, one of these things becomes a problem very frequently. As they get older, they cry because they have no emotional regulation (something that isn't fully developed until after adolescence). If I snatch a candy bar out of your hand you were about to bite into, you feel that initial pang of loss but quickly your higher faculties regulates that emotion. If I grab a piece of "floor food" my 9 month old is about to put in her mouth, she feels that same emotional response, but there is nothing to regulate it.
- guard-of-terra 13y agoThere will never be anyone around able to empathize enough to understand what's bothering them. Why bother crying? Why don't kittens, baby rabbits or calves cry that loud that much? Instead they happily crawl around. What makes human babies so problematic and miserable?
- abstractbill 13y agoCompared to most other animals, human babies are born more helpless and dependent on those around them (for example, most other species have young that are able to crawl or walk already). I believe the theory I've heard goes something like: It was beneficial for humans to start walking upright, but that development puts selective pressure on having a narrower pelvis for increased stability. Having a narrower pelvis implies having a smaller birth canal, which in turn puts pressure on having a shorter gestation period.
- guard-of-terra 13y agoI wonder if we can fix it after introducing uterine replicators.
- ceejayoz 13y ago> They mostly cry without any reason watsoever. Not knowing the reason is not the same as without reason. A child may cry for seemingly silly reasons (there's an excellent Tumblr blog "reasons my son is crying") but there's generally a reason.
- jlgreco 13y agoWhen the reason can be literally anything, you might as well say there is no reason.
- dylangs1030 13y agoThey don't cry for anything - they cry for a narrow set of reasons that occur often. Babes are frequently uncomfortable, upset by their surroundings, etc. They have very few valid reasons to cry, but their environment provides those particular stimulus very often.
- DanBC 13y ago> They mostly cry without any reason watsoever. This is false. It is rare for a child under the age of 6 months to cry for no reason. Children under this age cry to communicate a need - they are in pain, they are hungry, they are cold, they are scared. Once the parent has met the need the child will stop crying. It is incredibly traumatic for parents to have a crying child - the cries are evolved to be distressing to make parents assess the needs. Support groups exist for "cholic" (baby crying with no apparent reason). Even over this age children usually have a reason to cry. They don't just cry for the sake of crying.