by A sweet moment at the airport had recently fascinated internet 13.7 million views – And for a good reason. A mother, her baby and her husband waited at the airport to pick up someone very special – the identical twin sister of Mom. But when the baby was watched on her mother’s lookalike, her reaction was not only cute – it was a fascinating look at how little ones understand the world around them.
A moment of confusion and curiosity
In the video that is shared by @twinclimbers, you can actually do that to see The wheels that turn in the spirit of this baby. While the twins of her mother walk to them, she looks back and forth between the two and tries to process what she sees. Her little face shifts from curiosity to confusion, as if she is thinking, Wait a minute … this is not right!
Related: Baby Twins brings their first day apart – and their nightly reunion melts hearts
For a moment she leans at her aunt, attracted by curiosity. Then, when her mother hands her her, she hesitates – only for a beat – before she lets herself hug.
Her father, who records, even says what we all think: She looks so confused! And to be honest, who could blame her? At this age, babies are coordinated their ability to recognize faces, form attachments and understand the difference between famous and unknown people. But when the usual signals fade – as in the case of identical twins – their brains need an extra moment to catch up.
How babies recognize faces – and why this moment is so special
From the moment they were born, babies trust their senses to connect with their parents. They recognize faces early, but they are also dependent on voices, smell and touch to tell their carers apart from everyone else.
That is why such moments are so fascinating – because the twins look exactly like that, there are still small differences that help this baby find out what is what is.
Related: These twins who are married to twins are now both pregnant
This sweet airport meeting is actually a perfect example of the cognitive development of a baby in action:
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Brain power in motion: The way she keeps looking back and forth? That is her brain who works hard to process this unexpected parable.
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Recognition versus memory: She knows her mother directly– But she is looking for her memory to see if she has met her twins earlier.
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Appendix instructions: Even with her first hesitation, she lets her aunt hold because she picks up the reassurance and warmth of Mama.
The science behind that cute double take
Babies recognize their carers using a mix of face recognition, voice and scent. But when they encounter identical twins, those usual signals are a bit confused. This is why:
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Face recognition is still developing: The part of the brain that helps to distinguish faces – the fusiform facial area (FFA) – is still mature with infants. Although adults can quickly tell identical twins, babies can first struggle.
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Scent and voice make a difference: Even if the twins look exactly as a mother, differences in scent and vote the baby to find things out. Research shows that babies are primarily tailored to the smell of their mother.
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Perceptual narrowing: As babies grow, their brains become better at recognizing familiar faces, but it can take longer to distinguish between almost identical. This process, called perceptual narrowing, helps them to focus on the faces they see the most.
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Social instructions help them: Babies are deeply connected to the emotional reactions of their parents. Because Mama feels completely comfortable with her twins, the baby feels that everything is fine – and ultimately also relaxes.
The internet loves this sweet moment
Parents swoon everywhere about the reaction of this baby. Some make jokes that she just realized that she has ‘two mothers’, while others remind us of their own childhood experiences with identical twins.
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Pixelsonpilgrimage:
‘What could be better than one mother? … two mothers !! “
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@Shemakaya:
“The double recording in the beginning! So sweet! Aunt makes the world around. Enjoy. “
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This is not the first time that a video like this has become viral – various commentators remembered similar moments from their own lives.
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@Antman9208:
“This kind of videos never gets old. I remember that my first was when a little girl met her father’s twins for the first time. Her eyes got so big and she kept looking back and forth at them, even when he handed her to his brother. It was cute “
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Unbreakable_pressure: “My mom is also identical twins and he always asked me. How did I know my mum of my aunt and we just do it is just of course. “
Many people also live in the moment of hesitation of the baby and brands on how to think:
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@Sunflower_glow9: “She likes Wait Who holds me, because why my mother lol there”
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Dachea:
“My girl said I like you, so I know I ima like the other”
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The Bottom Line
This viral video is not only cute – it is a nice memory of how much learning happens at daily moments. Babies constantly absorb new information, come up with the world and coordinate their understanding of the people around them.
So the next time your little one pauses to process something new – whether it is a surprising face, a new sound or an unexpected change – knows that their brains work hard to understand everything. And that? That is the magic of childhood in action.
