Author Dr. Robert Saul

Raising Young Citizens in the Age of Columbine

“Just for giggles”

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The oft-used phrase “just for giggles” implies something for amusement or fun without any serious purpose.  My sons have heard me repeat too many times the analogous phrase “just for grins” meaning let’s just do something and see what happens, without regard to outcome.  Both expressions signify an approach to doing something usually with a jovial outcome or at least without serious consequence.

But this blog post will emphasize the hilarious, belly laugh of infants that everyone welcomes and cherishes.  Sometimes that belly laugh occurs with minimal obvious stimulation or will ensue after repeated parental attempts to use some type of tomfoolery.  After the episode, everyone goes about their business with the satisfaction that the infant is “happy” and engaged.

Recent work by investigators suggests that giggles are so much more than just a humorous curiosity but are a vital part of the developmental journey of infants and signal a crucial step in the maturation of children.

Gina Mireault, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist, has studied infant development and makes the bold statement that “laughter and humor are fundamental to how babies learn about and participate in the world. In an age of parental anxiety, humor and laughter are also among the most joyful developmental milestones.”1  In the videos accompanying the article, one can see and enjoy the pure joy of infant pleasure.  I encourage you to do so.

But if infant laughter is so important, what does it signal?  Why is it a vital indicator of early development?  Let me explain using the information gleaned by Dr. Mireault and colleagues and others in the field.

  • Social bonding – As long ago as the late 1800s, Charles Darwin thought that laughter was an evolutionary function, forging social bonds without language per se. Adult behavior certainly tends to confirm this as laughter often suffices for words in an interpersonal environment.
  • Neurosequential changes – Neuroscientists have shown us that development of the central nervous system (and its ultimate expression in behavior) occurs in a sequential fashion from brainstem to cortex.2 Laughter as an expression of emotion reflects action in the limbic system and demonstrates a progression of neural activity that is expected and welcomed.  It can be expected at around 4-6 months.
  • Cognitive achievement – Laughter reveals an interaction with others and a recognition of items or behaviors that are out of the ordinary. The things that parents do to elicit the giggles (playing peek-a-boo, blowing bubbles, making faces, using objects in an unusual way) provide a stimulus to the infant that needs some interpretation.  If the infant sees something unusual and reacts to its unfamiliar nature with laughter, a connection has been made signaling solid cognitive change.  Recognizing the changes in the behavior of others and recognizing a different patten of interactions are vital clues for the cognitive achievement that has occurred.
  • Early relational health – Safe, stable nurturing relationships are the keys to wellness in childhood and lifelong health with resultant resilience and flourishing.3,4  The fertile soil for the development of giggles is enhanced in the presence of interactions that are safe, stable and nurturing.  If there was such a thing as a giggle index, I suspect it would be higher in the presence of SSNRs.  And the converse is unfortunately probably true – that infants in a deprived environment are less likely to manifest giggling.

So, the presence of giggles in infancy is not “just for giggles.”  They signal an interactive, developmentally appropriate process that is so important for infants and children and their caregivers. They tell us how the child is doing and tell us how we are doing…and they allow us to enjoy life and our interactions with each other.  The giggles are an important marker.

I cherish the giggles that I have been privileged to see as a pediatrician and as a parent.  I still get big smiles just remembering them. I relish that the infants are starting to learn about and participate in the world. I love that the memory of giggles lingers and is always refreshed with hearing them anywhere.

 

  1. Mireault G. The evolutionary brilliance of the baby giggle. NY Times, February 4, 2026 (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/opinion/baby-laugh-developmental-milestone.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20260207&instance_id=170646&nl=opinion-today&regi_id=58821631&segment_id=214917&user_id=fcf87234d73af6c7a5a30059adceb3a8)
  2. Perry BD, Winfrey O. What Happened to You? Conversation on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. Flatiron Books, 2021. 298 pp.
  1. https://mychildrenschildren.com/ssnrs-and-mr-rogers/
  2. Garner AS, Saul RA. Thinking Developmentally: Nurturing Wellness in Childhood to Promote Lifelong Health, 2ndedition, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2025, 200 pages.