Pregnant women recognise baby expressions differently

As per a new study, pregnant women who have suffered from depression or bipolar disorder recognise baby faces and how babies laugh or cry differently.

This happens even if they are not currently experiencing depressive or manic symptoms, although the authors stresses that research would be needed to confirm any long-term effects.

Researchers compared 22 pregnant women, currently well but with a history of depression, and seven with bipolar disorder who were also currently well, against 28 healthy pregnant women. They also tested 18 non-pregnant women, as controls.

Between the 27th and 39th weeks of pregnancy, all the women were tested for how they responded to a series of happy or sad faces, and to laughter and crying, of both babies and adults. Specifically, the women were asked to rate how happy or distressed the infants were based on infants' facial and vocal displays of emotion. They were also asked to identify adult facial expressions of emotion across varying intensity levels. Read Complete Article

Business Standard