Australian psychologists discovered why women who have just given birth often see faces in inanimate objects around them. To work published In the scientific journal Biology Letter.
The ability to recognize faces in patterns or details of an environment is known as pareidolia. It is seen in both children and adults. In the past, scientists have found that pareidolia is associated with age-related diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
A research team from the University of Queensland (UQ) and the University of the Sunshine Coast examined pareidolia in postpartum women for the first time. More than 400 people participated in the online survey. They were shown hundreds of photographs showing real faces, objects that looked like faces, and objects that looked nothing like human faces.
It turned out that most of the faces in inanimate environments were recognized by participants who had given birth no later than a year before the experiment. At the same time, pregnant women and women who had never had children showed approximately the same level of facial recognition.
Psychologists explained this sensitivity with the high level of the oxytocin hormone in the body of women who have recently given birth. Oxytocin produces positive emotions and is secreted during pleasant interactions with loved ones.
Scientists hope their discovery will help us better understand how the human brain recognizes social cues.
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