Saying that babies are cute can be an understatement. Somehow, babies give their parents, and adults in general a sense of hope, purpose and meaning. Those gentle eyes and captivating smile are sufficient enough to wipe off the stress caused by a tiring day. But why do babies really make us happy? Read on.
Oxytocin
Scientifically, our bodies release the oxytocin hormone each time we have a skin-to-skin or eye contact with our babies. Oxytocin is also known as the love hormone, which is essential when we bond with our babies. In the same manner, our babies also release this hormone during our interaction with them, indicating that they are in the same state of euphoria. Overall, the bond we create with our babies through our interaction with them makes us happy.
Their cry
It can be surprising, but a baby’s cry can make us happy because it can be a form of relief. Surely babies cry when they are in pain, such as when their two year molars are coming out or when they have gas. But hearing a baby cry may also wash relief all over us, especially when we have already noticed their difficulty in breathing or their lips turning blue. It makes us happy to know that they are alive and with us, still capable of feeling pain. Then the next thing happens, we want to make everything better to help them with what is causing their pain.
Perspective
Babies give our lives a sense of direction because we know that they depend on us. With a different perspective, we also tend to view happiness in a different way. We often find ourselves no longer sweating the small stuff or spending less time on things that annoy us in the first place. We are already too busy caring for a baby to give time to things that are less important. With a new perspective that our baby should be the top of our priorities, we become happier with small achievements such as being able to put our babies down for a nap or changing a diaper even before a poop leaks.
Innocence
We can be staring our babies and just be engulfed in their innocence. This alone is enough to make us happy and even wonder what we did to deserve such a blessing. Their tiny little fingers grabbing yours are sufficient to keep us hooked to them. Even if they tend to keep us awake all night, spit vomit or poop on our clothes, there is really nothing they can do to make us stay mad at them. Truly, they depend on us for their survival and as such, they are completely innocent.
An innocent smile or a curious glance from a baby is sufficient to make us smile ourselves. Babies have their way of invigorating us and making us feel that everything will be alright. Babies smile to encourage us to smile back and take care of them better no matter what mishap they may have caused. In general, babies really do make us happy, and it is contagious.