There is evidence that, following birth, human mothers demonstrate a unique ability to recognize different sensory cues – visual, sound and smell – from their own babies. In one experiment, mothers with an insecure attachment to their baby were shown to have low oxytocin levels. When shown photos of their babies crying, their dopamine reward systems didn’t fire in the same way as they did in women with secure baby bonds. Instead their brains showed increased activation in the area associated with unfairness, pain and disgust
