Australian researchers have discovered and explained why women who have just had a child are more likely to see faces in inanimate objects.
- A University of Queensland study found that new mothers are much more likely to see faces in everyday objects than other women.
- This phenomenon, called pareidolia, could be linked to higher oxytocin levels in their body.
- According to the researchers, this work could open up new avenues of research into how the brain functions after the arrival of a newborn.
Women who have just had a baby are much more likely to see faces in everyday objects than others. Why is this type of illusion, called pareidoliais so common among young mothers? Psychologist Dr Jess Taubert of the university of Queensland conducted research to find the reason. Its findings were published in the journal Biology Letters, on September 13, 2023.
THE young mothers see faces in objects more easily
For this study, the scientist recruited 379 women, of whom 79 had given birth in the last 12 months, 84 were pregnant and 216 were not. Participants were asked to indicate whether they saw faces in the images presented to them. Some photos showed real figures, others everyday objects that could suggest facial features or even elements without any human features. The results revealed that new mothers were more likely to view objects with illusory heads as being more ‘resembling Has faces’ than the other volunteers.
“We found that postpartum women were more likely to have pareidolia“confirms Dr. Taubert in a press release from its establishment.
Pareidolia among young mothers: oxytocin would be in cause
According to the main author and her team, this predisposition to pareidolia in new mothers could be linked to high levels of oxytocin in the body after childbirth. “Oxytocin is known to reduce stress, improve mood and promote maternal behaviors like breastfeeding, so it could contribute to increased sensitivity in the perception of faces in objects”specifies the expert.
The psychologist adds: “until now, we did not realize that our sensitivity to pareidolia fluctuated according to different stages of life“. But for her, the results show for the first time that hormone levels can impact the basic visual processes responsible for our ability to detect and prioritize faces. They also suggest that the “Responses to socially relevant stimuli are enhanced during early parenthood”.
For Dr. Taubertthis discovery could open new avenues of research on how the “brain adapts to the unique challenges associated with caring for a newborn.”
