No Gender Differences in Infant Sociability? An Unexpected Conclusion from 60 Years of Research

Is it true that "boys are naturally clumsy and girls are more interested in people"?

Discussions about "gender differences" in babies begin surprisingly early. Even at the newborn stage, when they can't speak and their personalities aren't visible, there are often stereotypes like "boys don't look at people much" and "girls are sociable." However, the latest review strongly questions these assumptions. After examining a wide range of studies on newborns, it was found that there is no definitive difference in interest in social stimuli between boys and girls.

This conclusion was drawn from a systematic review and meta-analysis by a team led by neuroscientist Lise Eliot. The research team reviewed literature published since the 1960s, gathering studies that showed how much attention babies under one month old paid to social stimuli like faces and voices, categorized by gender. As a result, 31 peer-reviewed studies, 40 experiments, and data from nearly 2,000 newborns were analyzed. In particular, the analysis of time spent looking at faces showed no significant gender differences. The trend was the same whether it was a task of looking at a single face or measuring which of two faces was preferred.

This topic is noteworthy because common explanations like "women are more empathetic than men" or "girls are naturally more interested in people" have often been discussed on the premise that differences exist "from birth." The original article points out that this premise has long relied heavily on a famous study involving only 102 newborns, which has been criticized for serious methodological issues. In other words, the narrative of gender differences that we considered "obvious" might have been built on a more fragile foundation than we thought.

What makes this review interesting is that it didn't just compare "time spent looking at faces." For example, it also summarized experiments on "contagious crying," where babies cry in response to hearing other babies cry. While older studies suggested girls might cry more, a combined analysis of multiple studies found no clear gender differences. Additionally, in studies comparing reactions to social stimuli like faces and voices with inanimate objects like balls or rattles, girls showed a slightly higher tendency to react. However, this could be interpreted as a difference in overall responsiveness to stimuli, not limited to "interest in people."

The important point here is not to oversimplify by saying "there are no gender differences at all." What the research indicates is that, at least in the very early stages of life, there is little evidence to support a strong dichotomy like "boys prefer objects, girls prefer people." In fact, the original article introduces studies where both 5-month-old boys and girls preferred looking at faces over toy cars, and where 2-month-old boys performed better in face detection. It seems that discussing social behavior immediately after birth solely based on gender is too simplistic.

Rather, what this study challenges might be the preconceptions of adults. From the newborn stage, parents tend to view boys and girls differently. A 1995 study showed that parents tended to describe newborn boys as stronger and more robust, and girls as more delicate and dainty. More recent studies have reported that the toys and experiences parents provide from infancy can influence so-called "gender-typical preferences." Before discussing innate differences, we need to reconsider how early we start creating differences.

On social media, this topic is being received quite sensitively. As of the time of publication, media and academic accounts like The Conversation U.S. and SPSPnews on X have introduced the article's summary, giving the impression that "sharing the research" is taking precedence. Rather than causing a major uproar, it seems to be spreading as a study that "updates long-held beliefs."

On the other hand, more practical reactions are noticeable on parenting-related social media and forums. In Reddit's parenting community, there are comments like "I'm tired of relatives assuming boys are energetic and girls are quiet," "individual personality is much more significant," and "the influence of how they are treated by those around them is more impactful from an early stage than gender." It seems that many parents feel discomfort with fixed stereotypes based on their real-life experiences.

However, as is typical on social media, there are also cautious opinions. Some responses suggest, "the differences are not zero, but rather largely overlapping," or "even if there is an average difference, it doesn't apply to individuals." This is a healthy way to interpret research. Gender difference studies can easily inflate small average differences into large narratives like "boys are like this, girls are like that." That's why this review questions not just the existence of differences but also "how much we've exaggerated those differences."

The implication of this study for parents and educators is simple: set aside assumptions like "boys need less verbal interaction" or "girls should be naturally good at socializing." Babies are born as individuals "oriented towards people" before gender. They look at faces, listen to voices, and seek out comforting companions. This starting point appears to be much more equal than we think. If significant differences become apparent later, it might be because they gradually take shape somewhere in the developmental process, rather than being determined at birth.

The true value of this discussion is not in declaring "boys and girls are the same." Rather, it's about avoiding assumptions from the start. Each baby's way of crying, laughing, and looking is different. The question is whether we can accept those differences as "the child's own" before labeling them by gender. This study supports the importance of that perspective in scientific terms.

Source URL

・Published on Phys.org. A reprint of an essay from The Conversation, summarizing the study's key points, background, and main conclusions.
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-myth-baby-boys-social-girls.html

・Original research paper (systematic review/meta-analysis examining gender differences in newborns' social perception)
https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12790

・Bibliographic information for the research paper (reference for author names, journal name, DOI, publication time)
https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/bd306503-8ffb-3287-ae17-795c47c03b4c/

・Author Lise Eliot's affiliation page (page where the paper is listed as an achievement)
https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/academics/faculty/lise-eliot/

・Confirmation of sharing on X (The Conversation U.S.'s article introduction search results)
https://x.com/ConversationUS

・Confirmation of sharing on X (SPSPnews's shared post of the article summary)
https://x.com/SPSPnews/status/2046257056777195890

・Reference for SNS reactions 1 (Reddit parenting community. Thread with discomfort towards gender stereotypes and voices emphasizing individuality)
https://www.reddit.com/r/ScienceBasedParenting/comments/1ru0eau/are_there_actual_biologicallydriven_behavioral/

・Reference for SNS reactions 2 (Reddit parenting community. Thread questioning the stereotype that "boys are harder to raise" and discussing the influence of societal expectations)
https://www.reddit.com/r/toddlers/comments/1gspa71/is_there_research_showing_boys_are_harder_to/

・Reference for SNS reactions 3 (Reddit parenting community. Thread with responses suggesting individuality and societal expectations are more significant than gender differences)
https://www.reddit.com/r/toddlers/comments/1b1215e/are_toddler_boys_and_toddler_girls_really/

・Supplementary material 1 (Study showing that parents are prone to perceiving newborns through gender stereotypes)
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01547725

・Supplementary material 2 (Study addressing how toy experiences and parental interactions in infancy relate to gendered preferences)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32025083/