Comment on Eyes are freaky af
Zeppo@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I’ve wondered about this recently too. Eyes are only sensory organs. People can also do fine without them. So why are they so expressive?
Facial expressions are a powerful form of communication. Faces (especially eyes) are so important to communication in the human brain that we see faces in places (pareidolia).
There is also a theory that we evolved to have the whites of our eyes visible so others can see where you’re looking and react appropriately (especially in the case of danger).
Do you have any sources on that?
I’m not trying to call you out, I’m interested in reading more.
Sure. It’s called the Cooperative Eye Hypothesis.
www.livescience.com/4299-eyes-alluring.html
Some researchers have called it into question fairly recently: phys.org/…/2021-06-cooperative-eye-hypothesis.htm…
I learned most of this in psychology classes years ago. There is also a Wikipedia article on the topic. I’m not an expert at all, but I find this stuff fascinating.
Pons_Aelius@kbin.social 1 year ago
Because they are our primary sense.
Humans are social animals and were group hunters. Being able to judge emotions and intentions of another human just by looking into their eyes (silent communication) was a massive evolutionary advantage for us.