Social babies!

There was a time, not so long ago, when some people didn’t believe that babies could engage in social interactions. But science has shown us that babies are, in fact, ultra-sensitive to social cues around them, especially from their parents. In a classic experiment, the so-called “still face” experiment, we see that a mum not reacting, not smiling and not interacting is very upsetting for a baby.

This study was just part of a lifetime’s work by University of Massachusetts Professor Ed Tronick, one of 26 world-renowned scientists now featured in the Netflix series “Babies”, a series that shows us that babies know and understand so much more than many of us thought …

In his 2020 book The Power of Discord, co-authored with paediatrician Claudia Gold, PhD, Professor Tronick goes on to explain how conflict or disharmony is not only OK, but crucial for us all as we grow and develop and interact.