They 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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.