To calm a crying infant singing is more effective than speaking. A study has revealed that infants under one year of age who cry because their mother has left the room, stop crying when they hear someone singing and remain calm for twice as long with respect to when they listen to someone speaking. The person singing or speaking need not be the mother and it makes no difference if the language used is the family language or a foreign one. Western world mothers tend to speak to their children, differently from mothers from other areas of the world, particularly if their children are crying. Singing, or at least listening to songs, might be a useful way to help children overcome their difficulties.