Ever thought about how harmful your outfit choice could be for your health? No, us neither…
However, according to research from the University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMC) in the Netherlands, scientists have found that, for some people, looking at vertical and parallel lines can cause activity in the brain that can lead to migraines or even epilepsy.
And as the research suggests, said-stripe patterns can either be found in a photograph, or moving in real life, and – if you think about it – this includes classic Breton stripe T-shirts. Because apparently the pattern can trigger attacks, seizures, or just a general feeling of unease when a person looks at the vertical lines.
Duchess Catherine loves a stripe top…
“Our findings imply that in designing buildings, it may be important to avoid the types of visual patterns that can activate this circuit and cause discomfort, migraines, or seizures,” said Dr Dora Hermes of UMC about the study.
“Even perfectly healthy people may feel modest discomfort from the images that are most likely to trigger seizures in photosensitive epilepsy.”
The scientists were able to identify the way in which parallel lines sparked strong “gamma oscillations” in the brain, in a way that other images did not when participants looked at patterns.
“Vertical orientation of stripes are in general worse than horizontal,” said Dr Dorothée Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenité, an epileptologist of UMC Utrecht.
“Examples of striped patterns that are potentially provocative in daily life are rolling stairs, Venetian blinds, striped clothes and buildings.”
… And so does Prince George.
But should you stop wearing your favourite stripe? Perhaps you should speak to your GP first.
