Pregnant women can read emotions

London, Dec. 15: It seems pregnancy makes women better at reading facial expressions, for a study has revealed that most moms-to-be develop emotion-reading powers — perhaps because it makes them hyper-vigilant.

Previous studies suggested that a woman’s ability to correctly identify fearful or disgusted facial expressions varies according to her stage of the menstrual cycle, with the perception heightened on days associated with high levels of progesterone hormone.

A study led by Rebecca Pearson found a link between woman’s pregnancy and her emotion-reading powers, the New Scientist reported. Since levels of progesterone and other hormones rise dramatically in late pregnancy, researchers investigated whether the ability to read faces varies during pregnancy. The researchers asked 76 pregnant women to assign one of six emotions to 60 computer-generated faces before the 14th week of pregnancy, and again after the 34th week. Faces expressing happiness and surprise tended to be correctly assigned at both stages of pregnancy, but for faces expressing fear, anger and disgust, the accuracy rates were higher in late pregnancy, the study found.

This may increase the chance that the woman will spot potential threats to her and her foetus, and prime her to be hyper-vigilant once she becomes a mother.