Why do our eyes widen in fear and narrow in disgust? Researchers tried to answer this question.
The team of researchers, led by Adam Anderson, a professor at Cornell University, published their findings in the journal Psychological Science. According to them, these opposite facial expressions are based on emotional responses that use the way our eyes gather and focus light to detect unidentified threats.
When our eyes open wider, this increases sensitivity and expands our field of vision to identify surrounding danger. Alternatively, when our eyes narrow, this blocks light and sharpens focus to determine the source of our disgust.
This explanation supposes that human facial expressions come from adaptive reactions to stimuli in our environment, not a desire to communicate. These expressions later became social communication signals. For example, we narrow our eyes when we think about an idea or widen them to show our enthusiastic acceptance of it.
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