2025 Volume 21 Issue 2 Pages 41-55
We investigated the relationship between mental and physiological responses to infant crying and cooing, including babbling, and the influence of individual characteristics, in young men and women with no child-rearing experience. Seventeen adults aged 18 years or older participated in the study. They listened to either the crying or the cooing of a 7-month-old infant for three minutes, during which their physiological responses were measured. Questionnaires were also administered before and after the listening sessions. The results showed that skin blood flow significantly decreased in response to both crying and cooing, whereas heart rate was not significantly affected by either. The reduction in skin blood flow was greater during crying than during cooing, and this response was positively correlated with lower stress tolerance. Furthermore, among women and participants with lower scores in receptive emotional responses to crying, the degree of skin blood flow reduction differed between crying and cooing. These findings suggest that differences in physiological responses to infant crying and cooing are influenced by individual characteristics and emotional responses to infant vocalizations.
