Common Misconceptions About Babies

They cry, sleep, and spit up all the time, but their brain cells won’t work any harder if you only play them Mozart concertos.

We’re talking about babies: the small, shrill stars of this episode of Misconceptions. Not only is Mental Floss video host Justin Dodd sharing the truth about common baby myths, he’s also sharing some footage of himself as an actual baby, straight from the Dodd family archives.

While Justin no doubt shed a few tears during infancy, his eyes were dry for the first couple of weeks at least; babies’ lacrimal glands don’t kick in right away, so all that early wailing is actually tear-free. And if you think babies are blank slates who have no idea what’s going on, you might want to think again; studies have shown that babies catch onto certain social dynamics and other complex concepts long before we realize it.

Learn more about these baffling bundles of joy below, and subscribe to the Mental Floss YouTube channel for more illuminating videos.