How do babies change the way we see the world? Caregivers have long known that having a baby nearby changes how we see danger. Popular products like outlet covers and “baby gates” are a testament to just how vigilant parents need to be. Research in our lab is showing that everyone—not just parents—becomes more attuned to threats when a baby is around.

In our most recent theoretical paper, we look at how caring for babies shapes how adults perceive the world, especially when it comes to detecting potential threats. Simply seeing a helpless infant is a powerful signal to stimulate changes in attention and perception in both parents and nonparents alike. Not only are babies changing what you look at in the environment, but also how your brain interprets what you’re looking at!  Adults perceive dangers as more formidable when there is a baby nearby.  In our lab, we use virtual environments to study parenting. We recently found that parents perceive passing cars to be moving faster when there is a virtual baby nearby, compared to a robot or dog.Our research highlights how caregiving isn’t just about protecting infants—babies are actively reshaping our perception in ways that help keep them safe! You can read more about our findings in the journal Acta Psychologica. You can also learn more about the other ways in which babies are shaping adults, such as how they get us to make language easier to learn, by checking out some of our other recent work!