According to a new study carried out by scientists in Italy, your baby’s gaze could give you an insight into what they will be like when they get older.
Researchers from Monfalcone, North Italy, examined the visual attention of 180 newborn babies, then followed up their observations when the children were older.
The researchers’ study showed that babies who spent longer looking at an object were less likely to suffer from behavioural problems, as well as impulsive and overactive behaviours in middle-childhood.
It follows then, that the study showed that babies who only gazed at objects for a short span of time were more likely to go on to develop behavioural problems between the ages of three and 10 years.
Commenting on study, which was published this week in a scientific journal, Dr Angelica Ronald of Birbeck University in London said: “We’ve found for the first time that there’s a significant link between the way in which newborn babies look at images and their later temperament and behaviours in childhood, such as hyperactivity.”
Commenting on the significance of the study, she added: “This rules out the environment after birth, and leaves either genetic predispositions or influences from the environment the baby experiences in the womb.”
