Mothers more sensitive to crying babies thanks to hormone, study says

Oxcytocin, the "cuddle hormone", found to amplify the cries of baby mice in the brains of mothers and could explain increased sensitivity in human parents

As any bleary-eyed new mother will confirm, the sound of a baby's cry is almost impossible to ignore, no matter how tired you are feeling. Now scientists have uncovered clues that could help explain why parents are so sensitive to the sound of crying.

A study found that the so-called "cuddle hormone", oxytocin, which surges following childbirth, changes the way auditory signals are processed in the brains of mice. In effect, the hormone was amplifying the cries of baby mice in the brains of mothers.