15.4: Emotional Beginnings
- Page ID
- 140944
Origins of Emotions
At birth, infants exhibit 2 emotional responses: attraction and withdrawal. They show interest in pleasant situations that bring comfort, stimulation, and pleasure, and they withdraw from unpleasant stimulation such as bitter flavors or physical discomfort. At around 2 months, infants exhibit social engagement in the form of social smiling as they respond with smiles to those who engage their positive attention (Lavelli & Fogel, 2005).
Social smiling becomes more stable and organized as infants learn to use their smiles to engage their parents and caregivers in interactions.
[1] Image by Joy Poeng is licensed CC BY-NC
[2] Image by Rachel Klippenstein-Gutierrez is licensed CC BY-NC
[3] Image by Bethany Morgun is licensed CC BY-NC