The eye is the mirror of the soul

Research from the University of Melbourne reveals that eye movements can be a key indicator of thoughts and mental processes. Researchers mapped the gazes of participants who were tasked with thinking of numbers between 1 and 30 and found that they were able to predict their choices with about 60 percent accuracy. These findings suggest complex connections between eye movements and thinking, which could be useful in the context of negotiation and understanding unconscious cues.

The eye truly is the "mirror of the soul," a study has found, suggesting that by tracking people's gazes, it's possible to determine what they're thinking.

A flickering glance to the left, right, up, or down can indicate what processes are taking place in the mind.

In a study conducted by the University of Melbourne in Australia, volunteers were asked to think of a series of numbers between 1 and 30 and say them in random order.

Scientists mapped their eye movements and found they were able to predict with "high confidence" who would say which number.

These findings suggest that the art of "mind reading" may rely on the study of unconscious facial expressions. This could also be useful for negotiators trying to guess the intentions of their interlocutors.

Dr Michael Nicholas, a neurologist and co-author of the study, said: "It is now known that the eyes not only allow us to see the world around us, but also act as a mirror to the workings of our minds."

The findings, reported in the journal Current Biology, were based on a study of twelve right-handed people placed in a darkened room.

Each person was asked to name all the numbers from 1 to 40 in as random an order as possible. Each eye was carefully mapped, and every tiny movement was recorded and measured.

If the eye moved to the left and slightly down, then the next number listed was most likely lower than the previous one, while if it moved to the right and slightly up, then the number was higher.

According to the study, the researchers were able to correctly predict the numbers about 60 percent of the time.

The experiment's co-author, Dr. Tobias Loetscher, found that people imagined the numbers in a sequential line.

This means that we think about them along a mental number line oriented from left to right - often without even noticing these numerical-spatial connections," added Dr. Loetscher.

The report concludes: "Besides confirming the old wisdom that the eyes often betray the mind, the findings highlight the intricate connections between supposedly abstract thought processes, bodily behavior, and the world around us."

"Our study is also noteworthy because it shows that simply thinking about random numbers is associated with systematic changes in eye position," the report reads.

Lateral eye movements have historically been associated with mental arithmetic and recalling past memories.

Professor Richard Wiseman, a psychiatrist at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, says the mind controlled both movements and thoughts.

"The first question that arises is: movement or thought. This suggested that movement precedes thought. Interesting," said Professor Wiseman.

Prof. Wiseman also said the study was reminiscent of work done in the 1950s by American psychiatrist Edmund Jacobson, when volunteers were asked to think of the Eiffel Tower and they raised their eyes in response.

"The brain receives the request even before it tells you it has been received, and therefore action occurs," said Prof. Wiseman.