Singing to babies boosts their moods: Music Lab

A groundbreaking international study led by researchers from New Zealand and the United States found that singing to babies significantly improved their mood – suggesting a simple, low-cost way to support infant well-being.

The research, conducted by the Music Lab – a collaboration between the University of Auckland and Yale University – is the first randomized controlled trial to show that regular singing at home can measurably enhance infant mood.

“Across cultures, caregivers naturally sing to their babies,” says Dr Samuel Mehr, Auckland-based director of the Music Lab and principal investigator of the study. “This study shows that such instinctive behaviour has real emotional benefits for infants, which can positively affect the entire family.”

Interestingly, parents gravitated toward singing especially when their babies were fussy.

“We didn’t tell parents to sing when their babies were upset—but that’s what they did,” says Dr. Mehr. “They intuitively used music to manage their infants’ emotions, because they quickly saw how effective it was.”

While the study didn’t find a significant change in caregivers’ moods over the four-week period, researchers believe there may be longer-term benefits. “Every parent knows that a baby’s mood affects the whole household,” says Mehr. “If these improvements persist, they could influence broader health outcomes.”

The positive comments from study participants included: "I always remember now to put music on and to sing to him…”

The team is now enrolling families in a follow-up study, Together We Grow, which will explore the effects of infant-directed singing over eight months. Researchers are particularly interested in whether singing can help with sleep, reduce parental stress, or even alleviate postpartum depression.

Parents can also sign up here to take part in a replication of the Musical Babies study.

Previous research from the Music Lab has shown that infant-directed music is a human universal, with people across cultures able to recognize lullabies and dance songs— even in unfamiliar languages.

“Our evolutionary understanding of music suggests it plays a key role in communication,” says Mehr. “When parents sing lullabies, they’re sending a powerful message: ‘I’m here, I hear you, and you’re safe.’”

Apparently, babies are listening.

The study, published in the journal Child Development, was supported by the US National Institutes of Health, the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi (Rutherford Discovery Fellowship), and the University of Auckland.