Within hours of birth? Do baby girls' and boys' 'gaze' already differ?

Imagine newborns just entering the world, opening their eyes for the first time. We often tend to think of babies as born as a “blank slate.” However, a recent and surprising study has discovered that even among babies just a few hours old, a distinct “difference in interests” is already present.

A research team at the University of Cambridge investigated what 130 newborns focused on immediately after birth Source 2, Source 4. The results were intriguing: girls and boys were already taking slightly different approaches in their first steps toward engaging with the world.

Why is this important?

This study is drawing attention not simply because “men and women are different.” It is because these differences appeared within “a few hours of birth”—long before the growth process we call ‘socialization’ (the process of becoming a member of society by learning from parents and the surrounding environment) begins Source 15.

This suggests that the process by which children learn to speak faster or develop social skills later may not be determined solely by postnatal education. It indicates that children’s innate attention patterns can influence their developmental paths from the very beginning Source 7.

Understanding it simply

Think of it this way: It’s like the difference in which section of a giant library called “the world” babies rush to first when they enter for the first time.

Newborn girls tend to look at the “social relationships” section first, which contains people’s expressions and gazes Source 12. Girls prefer to focus on human faces for longer periods, and according to the study, they also tend to maintain focus longer than boys Source 4, Source 6.

On the other hand, boys are often more interested in the “objects” section Source 5. They tend to pay more attention to moving objects or the shapes of things around them.

Simply put, you could understand it as girls having a starting point more sensitive to the “software” of building human relationships, while boys are more sensitive to the “hardware” of exploring and understanding the structure of the world. Of course, these are only “average” differences, and it does not mean that every child is the same Source 11, Source 14.

Where do we stand?

In the scientific community, it is currently believed that these differences stem from prenatal factors, such as hormones or genetic factors while in the mother’s womb Source 13, Source 15. Even newborns just 18 hours old are already encountering the sounds and sights of a complex world, and within that, girls and boys have begun to view the world through their own unique lenses Source 10.

What lies ahead?

Yumnah Khan, the lead researcher of this study, explains that these early differences in concentration can influence the speed at which children later acquire language or develop social skills Source 7, Source 11.

Going forward, researchers plan to delve deeper into what specific differences these early tendencies create in children’s brain development and how these biological factors interact with environmental factors. What is clear is that our babies are already prepared to greet the world in their own unique ways from the moment they are born.

The AI perspective

It is no longer a new fact that the male and female brains show average innate differences. However, proving that these differences in attention patterns exist just hours after birth, as this study has done, shows us that we should not dismiss “developmental speed based on gender” as merely the result of education when raising children. Respecting children’s innate tendencies and understanding the unique way they view the world might be the true beginning of parenting.

References

1. [Source 2] Sex differences in infant attention are present hours after birth (https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260921/Sex-differences-in-infant-attention-are-present-hours-after-birth.aspx)
2. [Source 4] Boys and girls really are different — and it starts within hours of born (https://metro.co.uk/2026/09/22/boys-girls-really-different-starts-within-hours-born-29642693/)
3. [Source 5] Newborn girls spend more time looking at human face compared to boys study (https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/newborn-girls-spend-more-time-looking-at-human-face-compared-to-boys-study/)
4. [Source 6] Girls are better at paying attention from BIRTH! Study finds newborn (https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-16147569/Girls-better-paying-attention-BIRTH.html)
5. [Source 7] Baby girls’ greater interest in faces offers clue to nature nurture (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/21/baby-girls-boys-interest-faces-nature-nurture)
6. [Source 10] Girls and boys focus on the world differently within hours of birth (https://www.earth.com/science/girls-and-boys-focus-on-the-world-differently-within-hours-of-birth/)
7. [Source 11] Do Newborn Boys And Girls Show Different Attention Patterns? (https://www.rttnews.com/3692994/do-newborn-boys-and-girls-show-different-attention-patterns.aspx)
8. [Source 12] Boys and girls really are different — and it starts within hours of being born (https://uk.headtopics.com/news/boys-and-girls-really-are-different-and-it-starts-within-88006675)
9. [Source 13] Newborn girls and boys show different attention patterns within hours of birth (https://vuink.com/post/zrqvpnykcerff-d-dpbz/news/2026-09-newborn-girls-boys-attention-patterns-d-dhtml)
10. [Source 14] Boys behave differently to girls within hours of birth, Cambridge study finds (https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/boys-behave-differently-girls-within-103647229.html)
11. [Source 15] Sex differences in attention are present at birth, study finds (https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/sex-differences-in-attention-are-present-at-birth-study-finds)