Our brains perceive wrinkles around the eyes as more sincere emotions, shows research
June 12, 2018
Researchers at Western University have shown that our brains are pre-wired to perceive wrinkles around the eyes as conveying more intense and more sincere emotions. This eye-wrinkle feature, called the Duchenne marker, occurs across multiple facial expressions, including smiles, expressions associated with pain, and --as found by these researchers--expressions of sadness.
Using a method called visual rivalry, the researchers showed study participants photos of expressions with and without the Duchenne marker to study which of the expressions our brains perceive as more important. When different images are shown in each eye, the brain alternates between these two images, but will bring the image that is perceived as more relevant into perceptual awareness more often.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20180612/Our-brains-perceive-wrinkles-around-the-eyes-as-more-sincere-emotions-shows-research.aspx
