Babies are incredibly perceptive and sensitive to the emotions of those around them. Recent studies have found that babies can pick up on anger-prone behavior in adults, even if it’s not directed at them. These studies also discovered that babies may try to change their behavior to appease the angry adult.
What the Researchers Found
In the first study, researchers observed hundreds of 15-month-olds while exposing them to an unfamiliar adult interacting with another adult. The Emoter, the unfamiliar adult, would react either in a neutral way or appear angry or aggravated. Researchers allowed the baby to have a turn with a toy, and they noticed that babies were less likely to want to play with a toy that the Emoter reacted negatively to. Babies were also less likely to imitate how they saw the toy being played with if the Emoter was angry or aggravated. When the reaction was neutral, babies played with the toy like they were shown. Even more interestingly, when the Emoter engaged in a second round of playing with the same toy that previously angered them, but this time, acted in a neutral way, the babies were still turned off to those toys. This suggests that once babies detect that someone is prone to anger, it’s hard to dismiss.
The second study built upon the first, where the Experimenter produced very enticing toys for the babies, and they were allowed to play with them first. After a bit, the Emoter neutrally asked for a turn to play. 69% of babies who witnessed the angry Emoter turned over the toy. Meanwhile, just 46% of the babies who had only ever acted in a neutral manner in front of them shared with the Emoter. This indicates that babies will try to appease or compromise with the adult who previously showed anger.
What This Means for Parents
The takeaway from these studies is that babies are very attuned to other people’s emotions, and parents should be mindful of how powerful the emotion of anger is for babies. However, it’s important to remember that parents are still human and will inevitably experience and display a range of emotions, including anger. It’s okay to have outbursts of anger or other emotions, but parents should try to get their emotions back under control and model productive coping skills like taking deep breaths to calm down. Parents should also acknowledge their behavior to their child and apologize, explaining why they felt angry and what they will do to avoid yelling next time. This naming of emotions and acknowledgment of less-than-ideal behavior is a powerful parenting tool.
In conclusion, parents should be aware that babies are sensitive to emotions and will change their behavior to appease those who display anger-prone behavior. While it’s impossible to always be in control of one’s emotions, parents can model healthy coping mechanisms and take responsibility for their emotions and behavior. By doing so, parents can create a safe and nurturing environment for their child to grow and develop.
