[eli5] Why do babies laugh? Are they capable of finding things funny at such an early stage?
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I remember something about laughter being an interrupted fear response. That would explain why peekaboo is funny.
It depends on what the subject finds funny (usually as a social bonding mechanism). Some people find farts funny and neither them nor babies will understand elaborate forms of humor.
With laughter it’s important to understand it’s a very deeply seated evolutionary mechanism to form social relationships. You can’t force true laughter, and you laugh alone much less than in groups (approximately 97% less likely).
Adults usually laugh at things that are amusing. However, babies primarily laugh during social interaction or when experiencing new things. Thus, it is likely to be an evolutionary benefits. The adult is flattered because they think the baby thinks they are funny. The baby laughs in order to illicit attention and learning from adults.
Essentially from an evolutionary perspective they are mimicking adults to increase their own chance of survival.
One of the reasons people laugh is when our expectations have been violated (usually in a benign way). I imagine a baby’s expectations are violated near constantly. “Yay, mom’s here. Oh shit, mom’s gone forever and all that remains are hands. Mom exists again!”
Yes. Their understanding is simple, but they have a sense of humor. My little one was really into when I stuck out my tongue and made faces for about the first 10-months. After that, I had to start falling down or dropping things.
Being a dad is 85% literally clowning around.
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