Pexels / Helena Lopes
The study conducted with 110 parents and their babies shows that singing to them helps regulate their emotions and contributes to their well-being.
PSYCHOLOGY – A practice cherished by parents for ages: when their baby cries , they pick them up and gently rock them while softly singing a lullaby to bring peace or help them sleep soundly. However, this special moment shared with a little one has far more benefits than just calming them down. A study published in the journal Child Development by an international team of researchers from esteemed institutions like Yale University, Princeton University, and the University of Auckland reveals that singing to one’s child greatly improves their mood and contributes positively to their mental well-being , as well as that of the entire family.
“Singing is accessible to everyone, and most families already do it,” states Eun Cho, a postdoctoral researcher at the Yale Child Study Center and a lead author of the study. “We demonstrate that this simple practice can have real benefits for the health of babies.”
Music as an Emotional Management Tool
To arrive at this conclusion, researchers selected 110 parents and their babies, most of whom were under four months old, and divided them into two groups: one where parents were encouraged to sing more to their children, and a control group. The first group received weekly tips on integrating music into their daily routines, as well as educational videos and collections of songs suitable for infants.
All participants also completed online questionnaires regarding their baby’s mood, level of agitation, the time spent soothing them, the emotional state of the caregiver, and the frequency of musical activities.
A significant finding was that parents gradually increased the time they spent singing to their baby as they participated in the study. “When we ask parents to sing more and provide them with basic tools to do so, it comes very naturally to them,” notes Lidya Yurdum, a psychology doctoral student at the University of Amsterdam and a co-author of the study.
Researchers also found that parents employed music predominantly to soothe their baby during moments of agitation. This indicates that “parents are instinctively drawn to music as a tool for managing their infant’s emotions because they quickly recognize its effectiveness in calming a fussy baby,” the researchers explain.
A Calmer Family Environment Through Music
One surprising data point from the questionnaires was the notable improvement in the mood of babies whose parents sang lullabies compared to the control group. “Our understanding of the evolutionary functions of music suggests that music plays a role in communication,” says Samuel Mehr, one of the study’s authors. “Parents send their baby a clear signal in their lullabies: I’m right here, I’m listening to you, I’m watching over you – so the situation can’t be that bad.”
Although the study did not specifically aim to measure the effects of music on the mental health of parents, the researchers suggest that music could also help alleviate their stress, promote better sleep, and even reduce symptoms of postpartum depression . “All parents know that an infant’s mood influences those around them. If the improvement in the baby’s mood persists, it could extend to other health issues,” concludes Samuel Mehr.