Why wearing Breton tops could actually be bad for you

Sad news

We’re very sorry, but we have some tragic fashion news to bring to you today: Breton tops could be bad for your health.

Ok, so tragic is perhaps a tad dramatic, but if you have approximately 394,827 striped tops in your wardrobe like we do, it’s very distressing indeed.

According to researchers at University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMC) in the Netherlands, there is apparently a potential link between stripes and headaches.

Looking at static parallel lines could increase brain activity in some people, leading to severe migraines and even seizures and epilepsy.

Scientists conducted an experiment where they monitored participants’ brains while they looked at different images. They found that looking at stripes caused an increase in ‘gamma oscillations’ in the brain, which are linked to headaches and even seizures in some cases.

And it’s not just stripes either, it’s a whole lot of other static patterns that could confuse the brain.

Dr Dora Hermes, head of the research, said, ‘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.’

You’ll never look at a Breton top the same way again.