'Baby Fever' Is A Real Scientific Phenomenon


cute baby
Both men and women experience it.


Though you may have passed off this fever as a joke in previous conversations with girlfriends or loved ones, new research in the journal Emotion is calling the sudden, irrepressible urge to procreate a legitimate emotional and physical phenomenon. And men experience it, too. Women Say Late 20s Are Ideal Age For Starting A Family



In attempt to explain baby fever, the researchers adopted three views. First, that people, mainly women, are programmed to feel they are supposed to have children (a sociocultural view). Second, that people want to have children to fulfill a natural role as nurturer (a byproduct view). Neither of these explanations tested well among research participants. 'What's Your Number' Movie Contest: Dish Your Number, Win A Prize

But the adaptationist view—that baby fever is a signal to the brain that the time may be right to procreate—made the most sense, say researchers. In testing the view, they observed that positive exposure to babies (mainly those who are behaving) intensifies the urge to have children. Meanwhile, negative contact—think screaming, kicking, stinky baby—suppressed the urge. Considering the obvious trade-offs—children mean less freedom, less money, etc.—was another factor in the intensity of baby fever.

Also worth mentioning: For women, the urge to have a child dampens after the first baby. For men, however, one kid means a sudden desire to have even more. There is no official word on why this happens, but we have a feeling it has to do with the actual process of childbirth—and the man's desire to spread his seed. Disturbing New Facts About Anonymous Sperm Donors

Do you have babies on the brain? If you have a kid, did you experience baby fever before giving birth?