A NETFLIX DOCUSERIES THAT EVERY PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT SHOULD WATCH!
Netflix has offered the world with some of the best documentaries in the history of television. Unfortunately, unlike most of its sit-com series’, these educational shows haven’t received much attention. Babies, a documentary series from Netflix is one such hidden gems. It was released earlier this year. In short, the series is about infant development. And to bring clarity to the topic, it filmed 15 babies over a period of one year from the time of birth. Let me be honest, for someone who is not that into psychology, this series may be a bit tough to sit through. But if you are a psychology student, this series can really be a hell of a watch.
The series consists of 6 episodes, each focusing on a specific aspect of infant development. I do agree with the majority of the online reviews that at parts, the series did exaggerate or over-dramatize some elements. But it never left the circle of science. Developmental psychology has been a topic of interest from the very first time it was introduced and it still remains to be. And one of the main reasons for this ever-growing curiosity towards this field is the way babies behave. Even without any graphic filters and colour enhancers, we are drawn to them. And Netflix here, with their infamous quality, has made these babies simply irresistible.
Each episode showcases the work of a researcher in the field, all of them new and young. This means you probably won’t recognize any of them. After all, how many developmental psychologists do we actually know, right? The best thing about the series is that instead of just bombarding us with the results, it takes us on a journey with the researcher, how they came up with the idea, the challenges they faced, the ‘aha’ moment, and so on. In many ways, we can (as students of psychology) see ourselves in those people. Almost in all cases, persistence was the key to success.
This might be the best documentary on babies ever made, which is also one of the only ones. But there is still a lot of room for improvement. The documentary covers topics that are mostly either controversial or confusing in nature. Which was ok as they opted to film the whole process. But they left out some of the major topics that should have been discussed. Again, since they chose to film the babies in a natural setting, it was fine. The episodes covered topics like crawling, language, nutrition, love, sleep, etc. these episodes will surely perceive the way we view babies forever. It may not be the best parenting book. Actually, it is not at all a parenting guide. And I don’t think I would recommend this to anyone just because they have a kid. And nothing discussed in this series is necessary for being a good parent (other than the most obvious ones). This is a show that can, apart from being a well-shot chapter on developmental psychology, inspire you to take on researches in the field of psychology.
Like it is quoted in the trailer of this amazing show (rated 7/10 by IMDB), “the answer to what it means to be human, lies in the smallest, youngest creatures- our babies”.
And if you are too broke to pay for a Netflix subscription, no worries. Coz Netflix just released the episodes on Youtube. (check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3HuD9Ehb_0)
