Babies Can Recognize Emotions Too - By: Dan Brathers

Due to a recent study, observers concluded that babies that are about a quarter of a month old can recognize certain emotions in people by looking at their faces.

Babies are usually able to pick-up non-verbal signs before they are able to talk. Non-verbal signals such as smiling (whenever the eyebrows are raised) indicates friendship amongst babies.

When using an infrared light that takes pictures of an infant's brain the researcher discovered that these are the same regions used when adults look at another person.

The children were included in two different scenarios where a face either gave a mutual gaze or avoided a gaze. Both of these were added with a raise of the eyebrow and a smile.

The researchers began to study the oxygenation of the blood of the child and measured it with an infrared light and EEG, a process that reads brain waves.

A gaze triggers the cortex similar to how adults monitor gazes, which is located in the prefrontal and temporal cortex. Babies are able to notice gazes even when looking at someone sideways.

In different laboratories, observers have noted that children who have autism have trouble making eye contact. This could lead to a better understanding of social interactions amongst people. They have also found that most infants are very interested in faces and newborns have a stronger inclination to focus on faces that hold their attention in a mutual gaze rather than an averted one.

It has been discussed that sensitivity to eye gazing is a major establishment for developing social skills when at an early age. Insensitivity to this can be a sign of autism or other related disorders.

A similar brain scan analysis showed that when a new mother looks at her baby, a certain region of the brain, the orbifrontal cortex, lights up as well besides her mood. That area is known for emotional processing.

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