Mehr, SamuelKrasnow, Max2022-10-312017-09Mehr, Samuel A., and Max M. Krasnow. 2017. Parent-Offspring Conflict and the Evolution of Infant-Directed Song. Evolution and Human Behavior 38, no. 5: 674-684.1090-5138https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37373450We present a theory of the origin and evolution of infant-directed song, a form of music found in many cultures. After examining the ancestral ecology of parent-infant relations, we propose that infant-directed song arose in an evolutionary arms race between parents and infants, stemming from the dynamics of parent-offspring conflict. We describe testable predictions that follow from this theory, consider some existing evidence for them, and entertain the possibility that infant-directed song could form the basis for the development of other, more complex forms of music.en-USJournal Article2022-10-3110.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.12.005