The Eyes Never Lie!

Eyes Are Your Personal Radar

Besides observing gross body postures and movements, the eyes can detect tiny changes in the bodies of others. Laboratory instrumentation has shown that some of these slight changes are detected at the subconscious level and affect blood flow related to sexual arousal. Here are some of the subtle changes the eyes can detect.

• Changes in skin tone and texture due to blood flow changes when emotions fluctuate.

• Changes in eye pupil size as interest peaks and wanes.

• Tensioning and release of tiny muscles in the face and scalp from emotional changes.

• Eye angle changes (even at a distance) as one diverts attention away or on something.

• The precision timing of eye contact indicating interest, disinterest, or intimidation.

These slight body changes in others alert us to how they are feeling about us from moment to moment.

Eyes are Important for Mate Selection

Compared to the primates, only humans have a white area around the center colored portion of their eye. And eventhough the male eye is slightly larger than the female eye, the female eye has a higher proportion of white showing. Women interested in attracting men's attention will do well to use wide-eyed and darting eye movements to flash as much eye white area as often as possible. Men are attracted to that!

Men are attracted to young healthy women because they have the best success in producing healthy offspring. Bright, white areas in a woman's eyes plus long, thick eye lashes are excellent indicators of female good health. Women know how their eye contact can activate men's hormones and interest. Therefore women are very careful to avoid eye contact with men in public - unless the women want attention. If a woman wants attention from a man, she knows eye contact (plus a little smile) is one of the fastest ways to get it.

One of the important considerations for men choosing a mate is the female's age. Age difference is not as important to women, but men in all cultures prefer young women. Over eons this selection criteria by men has been to their advantage for producing the maximum number of healthy offspring. Young women have the least chromosome damage and therefore have the best chance in producing healthy babies.

An unconscious cue men use to recognize youth in a woman is the size of her ears compared to the size of her eyes.
The ears and nose continue to grow constantly as we age but the eye size remains nearly the same throughout life. Cartoonists know this and use it to make their characters appear young and appealing by drawing them with large eyes and small nose and ears. Women throughout history have also taken advantage of this fact and made themselves look younger by using makeup to increase the apparent size of their eyes. And for enough money, surgery can change the nose and ears to remove a decade or two.

At the right is a woman with her 95 year old ears. (The rest of her is also 95!) Compare her ear size with the much younger woman above. Older woman who wish to appear as young as possible may want to wear their hair long to cover their ears! Research Learn More . . .

Our eyes are very expressive and send many body language messages in numerous ways. For example:

• Glistening eyes from extra tear duct secretion causes a twinkling and glittering look that indicates strong emotion. This could be either distress, short of crying or excitement such as passion, or triumph.

• Narrowing the eyes deliberately indicates anguish and distaste and may be used by directing it to another who is the source of that feeling.

• Glaring eyes are used to intimidate. This cue is also used by many animals. In males it may immediately trigger fight or flight responses accompanied with hormone release.

• Unfocused eyes mean a person's mind is wandering and not paying attention. Literally, they are not focused!

• Lowering the eyes indicates modesty or submission. This relates to the bow as a sign of respect to others or feeling of inferiority.

• A wink with the closed eye directed at a person implies a shared secret. When winking at an opposite sex stranger it implies you have undisclosed desire for them.

• Frequent blinking during conversation indicates high interest. Some women use a rapid flutter of their eyelashes to get a man's attention.

Research Learn More . . .

Use Your Eyes to Send the Right Message

Since the eyes are our most powerful body language message transmitters, here are some general rules about using your eyes:

• It is OK to look into the eyes of another person for longer periods of time than normal when you . . .
  • like or love them.

  • are far apart and trying to improve communication.

  • are deeply interested in what they are saying.

  • know they are extroverted and like being close.

  • are expecting an answer or response. (Also drop the tone of your voice at the last word.)