Gaze from adult to baby puts brainwaves in sync

MAKING eye contact with babies synchronises their brainwaves with adults and could help them to learn and communicate more easily, scientists have discovered.

A study of babies and their mothers by the University of Cambridge found that when the parent was gazing at their child, their brainwaves aligned and the baby made more effort to communicate.

Previous studies have showed that when students are interested in a subject at school, their brainwaves sync with those of their classmates and learning improves.

Likewise, when adults talk to each other, communication is more successful if their brainwaves match.

Dr Victoria Leong, the lead author on the study, said: “When the adult and infant are looking at each other, they are signalling their availability and intention to communicate with each other.

“We found that both adult and infant brains respond to a gaze signal by becoming more in sync with their partner. This mechanism could prepare parents and babies to communicate, by synchronising when to speak and when to listen, which would also make learning more effective.”

The team examined the brain patterns of 36 infants using electroencephalography (EEG), which measures electrical activity via electrodes in a skull cap.

The research was published in the journal PNAS.