The term “fake” should not be taken as a negative in this context.

If you ever thought that your baby may be ‘fake crying’ then you may be right.

A new study from Japan shows that babies can “fake cry”.  One researcher analyzed the cries of two babies over a six-month period, looking for indications of emotion just before crying and after the crying stopped.

The babies were ‘nearly always unhappy’ just before they started crying, and after crying stopped.

However in one instance, an 11-month-old infant showed positive emotions in the last few seconds before crying. This was when the mother moved away during playtime. The baby smiled again soon after the mother returned.

Hiroko Nakayama, of the University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo, and the study’s researcher said,

 The infant “appeared to cry deliberately to get her mothers attention and convey to her [mother] that she wanted her to come closer and play with her again,”

 

“This appeared to be an instance of fake crying,” he said.

Nakayama also says that the term “fake” should not be taken as a negative in this context, as the interaction that occurs when a mother responds to her baby’s cries even fake cries,

“Contributes greatly not only to an infant’s social development but also to their emotional development,”

“Infants who are capable of fake crying might communicate successfully with their caregivers in this way on a daily basis. Fake crying could add much to their relationships,” Nakayama said

Do you think a baby can “fake cry”?