flashbul

FLASHBULB EYES

Facial expression. 1. An involuntary, dramatic widening of the eyes, performed in situations of intense emotion, such as anger, surprise, and fear. 2. A maximal opening of the eyelids (i.e., dilation of the palpebral fissure) which shows the roundness, curvature, and protrusion of the eyeballs.

Usage: When we are truly surprised, rather than feigning the emotion for effect, as, e.g., in a conversation, two involuntary visceral muscles in the eyelids--superior and inferior tarsals--widen the eye slits to make eyes appear noticeably rounder, larger, and whiter. Like dilated pupils (another visceral sign of emotional arousal), flashbulb eyes are controlled by impulses from the nervous system's fight-or-flight division. As visceral signs, true flashbulb eyes are difficult to produce at will. Thus, they are all the more trustworthy as nonverbal cues, especially of terror or rage. In angry individuals, flashbulb eyes can be a danger sign of imminent verbal aggression or physical attack.

Media. In Dracula movies of 1931, 1973, and 1979, actors Bela Lugosi, Jack Palance, and Frank Langella consciously widened their eyes before biting a victim's neck to draw blood. Had they felt true emotion, their eyes would have opened wider still.

RESEARCH REPORTS: 1. Exaggerated wide-eyes are included as items for surprise in the Facial Affect Scoring Technique (FAST; Ekman, Friesen, and Tomkins 1971). 2. In the stare, ". . . eyelids are held wide open, exposing a greater area of eyeball than in the usual open position" (Brannigan and Humphries 1972:59).

Neuro-notes. Though we may consciously widen our eyes, maximal dilation of the eye slit enlists contractions of the tarsal muscles. These involuntary muscles of the upper and lower eyelids are innervated by the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) division of the autonomic nervous system, working through the superior cervical ganglion. Thus, in staring, e.g., anger is expressed by unwittingly widened eyes.