New mothers may have enhanced ability to see faces in objects

The ability to see faces in things such as a cheese grater or burnt piece of toast is known as face pareidolia. Photograph: Dale O’Dell/Alamy

Whether it’s seeing Jesus in burnt toast, a goofy grin in the grooves of a cheese grater, or simply the man in the moon, humans have long perceived faces in unlikely places.

Now researchers say the tendency may not be fixed in adults, suggesting it appears to be enhanced in women who have just given birth.