Are Eyes The Mirror Of The Soul?
Are Eyes The Mirror Of The Soul?
You May Be Fooling No One But Yourself With That Mask
The Ann Arbor News Dimensions
By Janet Mendler
(News Staff Reporter)
Are eyes the mirror of the soul?
In many instances, the answer is yes, according to Dr. Monica Starkman, a psychiatrist at the University of Michigan Medical Center. "They can reveal a great deal about an individual's emotional state."
But eyes can also reflect physical ill-being, says Dr. Morton S. Cox Jr., an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the university.
"In psycho-therapy, the psychiatrist always looks as well as listens," says Dr. Starkman. "In terms of a diagnosis, the face and hands are always noticed during evaluation and treatment. An individual doesn't always express feelings verbally, but there is generally a response by the body."
Downcast or teary eyes may indicate depression, she noted, while a vacant or empty stare is often seen in patients "who aren't in contact with the real world and cannot relate to others." Eyes that dart constantly or blink more than normal reflect anxiety.
"No one eye expression can be used as a sole diagnostic tool, but combined with other responses, it can offer clues to the emotional state," says the doctor.
"There's no split between the body and the brain. Many emotional feelings are expressed by body movements and facial changes."
She says medical students are being taught to adopt a more wholistic view toward treating individuals. "We have to realize that symptoms can be revealed through many channels," says the doctor, who is director of consultation services at the medical center.
Everyone, Dr. Starkman believes, communicates in multiple ways. "Without seeing the person you are speaking to, a real part of communication is lost."
Many physical habits, she says, are acquired in the childhood period. Often she adds, individuals aren't aware of the meaning they subconsciously attach to gestures like rubbing the nose of twisting hair.
"Over a period of time, a therapist can uncover a pattern in the occurrence of gestures and can then use it to help the patient further an understanding of himself," she adds.
Attitudes toward the world are built into posture, says Dr. Starkman, and most people don't need any special training to translate non-verbal cues.
"If you're attuned to an individual, and if you're sensitive to what expressions can mean, then you can 'read' another person fairly well."
Parents in particular, may be "tuned in" to their children. For example, an infant can't talk, but his parents respond to different types of cries and other cues in the non-verbal area -- body responses and facial expressions.
"Definitely," agreed one mother of two sons, who says she used eye expression as the most reliable tool in determining how people feel.
"When one of my sons is sick, or just coming down with something, his eyes tend to become red-rimmed and glazed."
She also notices if an individual squints "which tells me if he's hurt," or if there are crinkle lines around the eyes. "I associate that with a happy person."
But, she adds, she also reads feelings through body cues.
She associates a straight, erect posture with a feeling of well-being and general good health and a droopy posture with depression.
Ron Leach says he has to know people fairly well before he can read them through their eyes.
"Basically, I look at the whole facial expression. People unconsciously express their feelings through a variety of cues. For instance, if something pleases an individual, his pupils tend to enlarge. And eye color changes in relation to how an individual feels.
"The tightness of the facial muscles around the eyes offer clues. One friend often pretends to be stern, and her whole face reflects that mood, but she can't lie with her eyes. Another friend is positively beautiful when she is happy, but if she's upset, her facial countenance changes 100 per cent," says Leach.
A secretary at the University, who sees many students during the day, says she usually "reads" them by body posture, but determines how her three daughters feel by their expressions.
"My daughters' eyes tend to look dull if they're unhappy, but they'll be bright and snappy if everything is going well. My son, on the other hand, reveals his feelings more through his action than expressions."
Students who come into her office with a belligerent, aggressive countenance usually have a gripe, she says, while she believes those who arrive in a calmer state are ones who are patient and "roll with the punches."
Can she tell if her daughters are pregnant "by the look in their eyes?"
"Never, although I have many friends who say they can. I must never have picked up that clue. It's supposed to be something about the shine or reflection."
Mothers who claim to be masters of this visual talent may be responding to other clues, says Dr. Starkman.
"A woman who is pleased with her pregnancy, but doesn't want to make the condition public, may adopt an 'I've got a secret I'm happy about' attitude, which may be the real clue."
Can an individual hide his feelings behind a bland mask?
It's possible, replied Dr. Starkman, but the facade is a hard one to maintain. "People simply can't stay camouflaged over time."
Eyes can also reveal real physical illnesses.
According to Dr. Cox, a retinal specialist, some diseases can be discovered through an examination of the retina, while others provide more external clues.
"When someone is jaundiced, the whites of the eyes look yellow, and if the body has a tendency to accumulate an abnormal amount of fluid, if the kidneys aren't functioning properly, it will show in the eyelids," notes Dr. Cox.
The loose skin tissue on the eyelid tends to droop and sage if an individual is up too late, or "is burning the candle at both ends."
People suffering from certain endocrine problems, says Dr. Cox, may develop a tendency to stare. "The eyes won't blink. Hyperactivity can also manifest itself in certain eye signs."
According to the opthamologist, the tissues underneath the eye are normally rich in blood supply. A person who is anemic, on the other had, will have tissue that is abnormally pale.
"There are a number of systemic problems that show up inside the eye. The retina has its own set of blood vessels which undergo changes with different types of diseases," the doctor added.
"The eye is one of the few places where you can look directly at a set of blood vessels. A person suffering from hypertension has a certain amount of spasm in the vessels, and these are observable through examination."
Anemia and diabetes also cause characteristic retinal abnormalities and leukemia "commonly causes changes."
In addition, reports Dr. Cox, there are a number of inherited genetic problems that affect eyes.
"Mongolism is associated with a peculiar slant of the eyelids, and birth defects particularly can cause any number of changes in the eyes."
There are some individuals who think they can hide behind a facial mask. But they may be fooling no one but themselves.
Tightness -- Is She Displeased?
Eyes Communicate Well-Being
"I've Got A Secret"
Empty Stare -- May Not Relate
Burning The Midnight Oil?