Do babies prefer female faces?

Studies suggest that babies do not always prefer female faces, but, in fact, show a strong preference for human faces of the same gender as the primary caregiver. Since most babies are primarily cared for by females, most babies prefer to look at female faces.

neurologylive.com - Through Innocent Eyes: Facial Preferences of Infants

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Most developmentally healthy babies like looking at faces. And, interestingly, it turns out that babies have strong preferences when it comes to exactly what type of face they like to look at. Most anecdotal observations suggest that babies show a strong preference for friendly, smiling female faces. And scientific studies that track eye movements and other objective measures confirm this widespread belief, showing that babies do indeed show a strong preference for female faces when compared to male faces.

Why do babies prefer to look at females?

This tendency is not due an inherent favoritism of female facial features, but rather to the personal life experiences of very young babies. Studies suggest that babies do not always prefer female faces, but, in fact, show a strong preference for human faces of the same gender as the primary caregiver. Since most babies are primarily cared for by females, most babies prefer to look at female faces. But there is an interesting exception to this rule. Babies prefer to look at faces that match the gender of their primary caregiver only if those faces are the same race as the primary caregiver. When babies are shown faces of adults of races that are not the same as that of the primary caregiver, they do not show a gender preference. Therefore, it seems that what babies truly prefer is to look at people who strongly resemble their primary caregiver.

Can a baby’s face preference change?

Some of these findings may seem intuitive, as babies generally crave comfort and security. A familiar-looking face is one of the things that gives comfort to people of all ages. The reality is that although there is usually one primary caregiver in a young baby’s life, many babies are cared for by more than one person. Does this partiality for female faces differ for children who have multiple caregivers?

In fact, it does. Babies who are tested at 3 months of age or at 6 months of age show eye tracking consistent with preference for female faces. But, babies who are older, around 9 months of age, display a significant decline in the preference for female faces, which correlates with having more male interactions, as fathers and other male relatives are more likely to begin to share, or even take over, the primary responsibly of caring for older babies. And, as would be expected, biracial babies scan faces a little differently, suggesting that perhaps young babies who are closely familiar with facial features of adults of more than one race process facial features using a different method. Babies are inherently innocent, behaving in simple, instinctual ways that are free of bias. It is possible that greater amounts of interactions with people who have different ‘looks’ during early childhood could make children, and even adults, more comfortable with a variety of individuals who have differing physical appearances. Of course, if humans feel less threatened by people who look ‘different,’ the end result benefits everyone.

Do you think patients, especially young patients, are more comfortable with familiarity in the medical setting?

Liu S, et al. Asian infants show preference for own-race but not other-race female faces: the role of infant caregiving arrangements. Front Psychol. 2015 May 7;6:593.

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Do first borns look like father?

In concluding the study, co-author and psychologist at the University of Padova in Italy Paola Bressan noted that to the best of her knowledge, “no study has either replicated or supported” the findings from the 1995 study that stated babies resemble their fathers.

kiindred.co - Do first-born babies actually look more like their fathers? - Kiindred

There’s an old theory that says first-born babies were genetically predispositioned to look more like their father. It was believed this was so the father accepted the child was his and would provide and care for them. There’s also another theory that says it was so he didn’t eat the baby… These theories obviously date way, way back, long before paternity tests existed (or cannibalism was frowned upon). But even today, all new parents can’t help but look at their baby and wonder, who does it look like? It’s often one of the first things people will comment on when they meet a little one for the first time.

But is there actually any truth to the theory at all?

A 1995 study from the University of California sought to prove the theory by matching photos of 1-year-old children with pictures of their father. The study asked 122 participants to match photos of children at 1-year, 10-years and 20-years with photos of both their mothers and fathers. In infants, just under 50% guessed correctly for the fathers, as opposed to around 37% for the mothers. The success rates decreased significantly in 10-year-olds and rose slightly again in 20-year-olds. A similar study in 2004 with a much larger sample size found that, in fact, most infants resemble both parents equally. In concluding the study, co-author and psychologist at the University of Padova in Italy Paola Bressan noted that to the best of her knowledge, “no study has either replicated or supported” the findings from the 1995 study that stated babies resemble their fathers.

But even though the science isn’t there to back up the theory, why do so many of us say it rings true, that firstborns do tend to look more like their father?

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