KC 11/21

November 2021 Edition: Laughter and Social Connection in Infants by Dione Morgan, MA, ECSE

Dione Morgan, MA, ECSE, is the Child Find Coordinator for the Buena Vista area, Circle of Security parent facilitator, and Vice-Chairperson of the Chaffee County Early Childhood Council.

Babies are born with limited control of their bodies and no way to meet their basic needs independently. They are unable to speak the language of their family, yet their mere survival depends on social connection. While infants cannot speak to us, they do have a way to connect, laughter. A baby’s first laugh has been considered a momentous occasion. According to Aristotle, laughter is what separates humans from other beings, and a baby’s first laugh is evidence that it has acquired a soul. In the Navajo culture, the first laugh marks the infant’s transition from the spirit realm into the human world.

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