Being able to read the eyes of any person, woman or man , has been one of those powers that have been popularly attributed to psychologists.

Although the idea that by observing someone’s eyes you can know what they are thinking is totally false and based on an exaggeration, the truth is that the signals sent by non-verbal language are very useful for knowing certain things about the emotional state of others.

Now… how is it possible to get to know better what goes on in a person’s mind from the observation of their eyes? Let’s look at it.

Communicating through the eyes

When we talk to someone face to face, a good part of our attention is focused on that person’s eyes, even if we don’t realize it. In normal situations, our gaze is focused on the other person’s eyes for more than a third of the time we spend talking, as long as we have that person in front of us and looking in our direction.

This indicates, among other things, that the eyes have great expressive power, partly because the muscles involved in their movement and in the adjacent areas reflect the state of emotional activation that marks each moment. We have evolved so that a small and almost imperceptible movement is a message that allows us to know what is happening to the other without generating any noise . But, in addition, we are able to take advantage of this fact to enhance it and know more about the others.

Reading the eyes of women and men

The first thing to be clear is that, although there are certain psychological differences between men and women in statistical terms, these do not exist when it comes to reading someone’s eyes. Why? Among other things, because when it comes to experiencing emotions and responding to them, all human beings are quite similar.

The muscles that control the movement of the eyes and adjacent areas do not move in patterns that show in detail what is thought, but in any case express sensations and emotions in the most basic sense. Thus, these small differences in the thinking styles of both sexes are not reflected in the gaze. Reading a woman’s eyes is not significantly different from reading any other kind of person, for example.

If you are interested in knowing more details about the basic keys to reading the look , below you can find the main ones.

1. Eyebrow elevation

A brow lift that is not exaggerated points out that the person pays more attention to controlling his way of communicating and somehow tries to “take the helm” of his expressiveness in a semi-conscious way. However, if the movement is exaggerated this indicates distance.

2. Pupil dilation and contraction

People cannot voluntarily control whether their pupils dilate or contract. This movement can be produced by many variables, such as the lack or excess of light; however, it has been seen that it also influences whether you see something or someone that is interesting or attractive , in which case they open up more.

3. Avoiding eye contact

There are two psychological aspects that can be indicated by a refusal to look the other in the eye. If this is done by keeping your eyes down or by quickly moving your eyes back and forth, it is a sign of insecurity .

On the other hand, if the look is kept away but does not look down and does not quickly sweep the surroundings, this is a sign of a feeling of superiority and of dominance over the other person .

4. The number of blinks

The blinks faithfully reflect the degree of activation of a person’s brain. Someone who feels very nervous blinks more, and someone who is attracted to the person he is interacting with , too, as his mind is performing many operations at once.

5. Squinting

This signal indicates detachment and an emotional state linked to a defensive attitude . For example, it may indicate disbelief or the anticipation of an attack.

6. Time elapsed during eye contact

It is not only the contraction of the eye muscles that should be taken into account: the time factor should also be taken into account. That’s why it’s important to know how much time you spend maintaining eye contact with someone.

If you spend a lot of time looking into the other person’s eyes, this indicates a willingness for a symmetrical exchange of information on both sides. Conversely, if someone makes less eye contact, this may indicate that they are hiding something and prefer not to offer vulnerable sides through which they can be “attacked”.