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Comment by guard-of-terra | Hacker News Reader

I wonder why children cry at all. Isn't that evolutionary stupid to cry so loud so much?

My only idea is that children cries is a side-effect of their brain development.

If the child is in a group of other humans, the louder it cries the more likely it is to be noticed. The more annoying the cry is to other people, the more likely it is to get help.

Humans always lived in groups, so being loud and annoying has huge evolutionary advantages over being quiet.

They mostly cry without any reason watsoever.

Even today children crying gets them shaken violently in some cultres. I can't imagine pre-historic humans to be more well-tempered and tolerant than today. It doesn't make sense.

> They mostly cry without any reason watsoever.

Hmm, I'm guessing you are child-free? In my experience, it's not normal for a baby to cry for no reason.

I'm only replying to present a diff. point of view in case people go away thinking it's normal for a baby to cry for no reason.

> They mostly cry without any reason watsoever.

Not really, it's just that we find it difficult as adults to empathize enough to understand what's bothering them. Children cry because they're hungry, because they've got gas, because they're sick or uncomfortable, because they're overstimulated, or because they're bored. Since they eat every few hours, have developing digestive systems, have developing temperature regulation systems, and have no internal monologue and short attention spans, one of these things becomes a problem very frequently.

As they get older, they cry because they have no emotional regulation (something that isn't fully developed until after adolescence). If I snatch a candy bar out of your hand you were about to bite into, you feel that initial pang of loss but quickly your higher faculties regulates that emotion. If I grab a piece of "floor food" my 9 month old is about to put in her mouth, she feels that same emotional response, but there is nothing to regulate it.

There will never be anyone around able to empathize enough to understand what's bothering them. Why bother crying?

Why don't kittens, baby rabbits or calves cry that loud that much? Instead they happily crawl around. What makes human babies so problematic and miserable?

Compared to most other animals, human babies are born more helpless and dependent on those around them (for example, most other species have young that are able to crawl or walk already).

I believe the theory I've heard goes something like: It was beneficial for humans to start walking upright, but that development puts selective pressure on having a narrower pelvis for increased stability. Having a narrower pelvis implies having a smaller birth canal, which in turn puts pressure on having a shorter gestation period.

I wonder if we can fix it after introducing uterine replicators.

> They mostly cry without any reason watsoever.

Not knowing the reason is not the same as without reason. A child may cry for seemingly silly reasons (there's an excellent Tumblr blog "reasons my son is crying") but there's generally a reason.

When the reason can be literally anything, you might as well say there is no reason.

They don't cry for anything - they cry for a narrow set of reasons that occur often. Babes are frequently uncomfortable, upset by their surroundings, etc. They have very few valid reasons to cry, but their environment provides those particular stimulus very often.

> They mostly cry without any reason watsoever.

This is false.

It is rare for a child under the age of 6 months to cry for no reason. Children under this age cry to communicate a need - they are in pain, they are hungry, they are cold, they are scared. Once the parent has met the need the child will stop crying.

It is incredibly traumatic for parents to have a crying child - the cries are evolved to be distressing to make parents assess the needs. Support groups exist for "cholic" (baby crying with no apparent reason).

Even over this age children usually have a reason to cry. They don't just cry for the sake of crying.

From what I know, the crying is due to the change in pressure that affects babies inner ears during takeoff and landing.

Why do they cry on a bus or on a street even?

They cry when they need something from their keeper, like a diaper changed, some comfort, whatever. Perfectly understandable.

What is 10x more infuriating is a six year old screaming at the top of its lungs, with the parents either ignoring or smiling happily.

Exactly. Taking a baby onto an airplane is equivalent to torturing it... And, as a consequence, everyone around it.

1000 times this. When airplane starts to descend my ears do funny thing. I begin to hear everything like from under a meter of water. My ears also hurt like hell. And it doesn't stop. On my first flight ever, I suffered for half an hour waiting for this feeling to pass. No amount of swallowing helped. Then I told my friend about it and he ssugested that I blow the air out through the nose while holding it shut with my hand. Presto. I was back with the living. If you could somehow do this manouver to an infant that started crying on descent.... Otherwise you are funding him about an hour of really painful torture.

This method is also described in that flight magazine on page 53 or something. Should be on the cover.

> If you could somehow do this manouver to an infant that started crying on descent.... Otherwise you are funding him about an hour of really painful torture.

Chewing/swallowing tends to accomplish the same thing, which is why it's recommended to give them a bottle during takeoff/landing.

FYI, this is how scuba divers clear their ears as they change depths. It's basic training.

I've experienced this to different degrees in my travels. One time it felt like I was being stabbed in the brain with an ice pick for the entire 6 hour cross country flight and no amount of blowing/swallowing/yawning would help.

It's a form of Eustacian tube dysfunction:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustachian_tube#Disorders

My ENT recommends taking a hit of Afrin nasal spray during takeoff and again just before descent.

My sarcasm meter might be off, but regardless, this is nonsense. You can easily mitigate the pressure issues by giving your kid something to snack on or a bottle during takeoff and landing.

All three of our children have been very happy to fly. They seem to find the engine noise soothing when they're infants, and out 4-year-old loves machines, so he's been thrilled anytime we get on a plane anytime for the past few years.

That said, I'd be happy to be put in a "family friendly" part of the cabin, and leave other audibly sensitive travelers to their piece.

It surprises me how poorly airlines integrate lap infants into their booking process. Often with domestic carriers there's no way to indicate that you're bringing an infant with you until you get to the checkin counter. Seems like poor planning.

that isn't true for everyone.

as a kid, and now as an adult I've had generic allergies that have caused eustachian tube disorder(s) throughout my life.

Airplane rides cause agonizing headaches for me for about an hour after landing, and there is little to be done about it other than waiting through it. It sucks. The first time I experienced such a thing I felt as if I was going to be permanently deaf or disabled due to it, it's that bad.

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