Scientific American reports that the amygdala — the portion of the brain that regulates emotion and identifies threats — responds differently to angry or fearful expressions based on direct or indirect eye contact. The researchers propose that a fearful expression and indirect eye contact signal a nearby threat to the observer while an angry person using direct eye contact signals he or she is the threat.
On a related note, Ad Rem reports on a study that dogs are excellent at interpreting human gazes to identify hidden food or a desired target.
Posted at June 6, 2003 09:57 AM | TrackBack