In daily life, we often see scenes in movies where fathers scold their children or wives nag at their husbands, with the other party seemingly agreeing but actually not paying much attention. So, is there a way to confirm whether someone is really listening to us when we speak? Recent research reveals that people tend to blink less when they are actively listening to someone.
Researchers at Concordia University in Canada pointed out that blinking is one of the human reflex actions that usually occur without much thought, much like breathing.
Although blinking studies are usually associated with vision, a study at the university explored how blinking is linked to cognitive functions, such as filtering background noise in noisy environments to better focus on listening to others.
The lead author of the study, Pénélope Coupal, stated: “We wanted to know if blinking is influenced by environmental factors and how it relates to executive functions. For example, is the timing of blinking strategic to ensure not missing what others say?”
In their research, the researchers designed two experiments to measure how eye blinking responds to stimuli under different conditions.
They found that people naturally blink less when they are making an effort to understand what others are saying in noisy environments. This indicates that blinking behavior reflects the mental effort behind listening to others in daily life.
Additionally, they discovered that blinking patterns remain stable under different lighting conditions. In other words, regardless of whether the lighting is bright, dim, or dark, people blink at the same frequency.
Coupal mentioned: “We do not blink randomly. In fact, the frequency of blinking systematically decreases when important information is presented.”
In the first experiment, 49 participants sat in a soundproof room and focused their eyes on a cross on the screen. Through headphones, they listened to short sentences with varying levels of background noise—ranging from quiet to very noisy.
Using eye-tracking glasses, researchers recorded each instance of participants blinking and the precise timing while listening to the sentences. Each experiment was divided into three periods—before the sentence was played, during playback, and after playback.
The study found that participants blinked less frequently while listening to the sentences compared to before and after the sentences were played. This inhibition of blinking was particularly noticeable in the most noisy and difficult to understand speech situations.
In the second experiment, researchers tested blinking frequency under different signal-to-noise ratios in dim, moderate, and bright rooms. The results showed a similar pattern of blinking frequency variation to the first experiment, indicating that cognitive demand influences blinking frequency rather than the intensity of light reaching the eyes.
Mickael Deroche, associate professor of psychology at the university, summarized: “Our research suggests that blinking is related to the loss of visual and auditory information. This may be why we inhibit blinking when important information is presented.”
The findings of the research were published in the journal “Trends in Hearing.”
Blinking is a normal physiological response. Brenda Pagan-Duran, a practicing ophthalmologist in New Jersey, and a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, mentioned that people blink continuously for two main reasons.
Firstly, to clear foreign particles from the eyes. Secondly, to lubricate the eyes, providing a smooth surface for proper light focusing to maintain clear vision. Moreover, blinking comes in handy when people are emotionally aroused. For instance, when crying, the frequency of blinking increases to clear tears and prevent them from affecting vision.