The Laughing Baby
By Caspar Addyman
The extraordinary science behind what makes babies happy and why
Unbound Exclusives
About the book
The laughter of tiny babies is endearing, entrancing and infectious. It is powerful enough to reinvigorate even the most weary parent. It is also a fantastic window into what a baby is learning and experiencing. Long before they can talk babies can communicate their experience of the world through laughter and tears. Until now, however, psychologists and parenting experts have largely focused on moments of stress and confusion.
Dr Caspar Addyman is a developmental psychologist who decided to change that. For four years Caspar has run the Baby Laughter project collecting data, videos and anecdotes from parents all over the world. He learned that laughter and smiles are of central importance at the start of life. They define a baby’s cognitive and emotional development. Squeals of joy accompany all of a baby’s little breakthroughs. Laughs and smiles connect them to their nearest and dearest. It is how they reward you for the things they learn from you.
The Laughing Baby is the culmination of Caspar’s research. It is also a story of infancy itself. The most remarkable time when we lay down the foundations for everything that comes after. The book moves chronologically through the first two years of life. Looking at the physical, cognitive and emotional milestones in an infant’s life and the smiles and laughs that accompany them.
Readers will learn that being a baby is a lot like being a scientist: babies are confronted by a mysterious world and they learn by a process of experimentation. For babies, knowledge is its own reward and laughter is the soundtrack of all their little ‘Eurekas’. But the full story is bigger than that. Understanding babies helps us understand ourselves. Babies provide the origin story for our incredible abilities. Along the way, you will learn the world’s oldest joke, why music makes us happy, why babies find dogs funnier than cats and the somewhat gross origins of ticklishness...
This is an optimistic book. It’s joyful. It’s highly educational and hopefully, it will even make you laugh. The book won’t happen without your support so please pledge for your copy now or for one of our fabulous special rewards. Thank you.
Just wishing you well - looks like it's going terrifically already. My book has gone up today, wish me luck (Jane Stevenson, Secret Commonwealth, we were at the Unbound seminar together)
Thanks Jane. I had a great first week but now the struggle really begins. Good luck to you too. I'm pledging.
Is a misprint that a pledge for Hardback doesn't also come with the ebook too?
Hi Andrew, Yes, that is a mistake. The ebook is included with all other editions. Best, Caspar