Ridiculous Study

The following article was in the Chicago Tribune this morning:

A mother's love? It may depend

Most of us rest comfortably on the idea that even if no one else loves us, our mothers still will. but a new study suggests women may be biologically programmed to love children who are healthy and most likely to live.

Researchers at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., showed 13 healthy men and 14 healthy women pictures of 80 infants, 30 of whom had abnormal facial features, such as cleft palate, skin disorders or Down syndrome. The participants could choose to extend or shorten the viewing time and were asked to rate the attractiveness of each infant.

The study found that women were more likely than men to reject the unattractive babies. The attractiveness ratings the men gave to normal-appearing babies were also significantly lower than those given by the women. The women made a greater effort to avoid looking at the abnormal babies.

It could be that women have an evolutionary need to pay more attention to normal-looking infants. In a time of limited resources, mothers might have diverted their attention from sick children to healthy ones more likely to live, the researchers said. "Women may be more sensitized to aesthetic defects and may be more prone to reject unattractive kids," the first author of the paper, Rinah Yamamoto, said in a news release.

My response, in a letter to the editor:

I was disappointed that the Tribune would highlight such obvious junk science as the study that "found that women were more likely than men to reject the unattractive babies" (A mother's love? It may depend, June 26). First of all the study only involved 27 people, an absurdly low number. They assumed looking for a shorter period of time at pictures of babies with facial differences, such as Down syndrome or a cleft lip, means that women are biologically programmed to reject them. Ridiculous! The researchers failed to take in to consideration several factors. Women might be more in tune with the social ideal of not staring at those who may have facial (or other) differences. A compassionate woman might find it difficult to look for an extended period of time at a child with a disability because they're aware of the challenges that child might face. And men who watch violent movies might be more desensitized to disturbing images. I also object to the characterization of those with facial differences as unattractive. My son has Down syndrome, I think he's beautiful, and I loved him from the moment I laid eyes on him.

What do you think?