The eyes give a lot away, whether we are nervous, stressed, lying or tired. While it is easy to change our demeanour to show nothing is wrong, our eyes could give everything away subconsciously. 

Body language expert Traci Brown worked with Vision Direct on a tool “The Blinking Test” where she explains how to decipher behaviour behind certain blinking patterns.  

Fast blinking is a sign of stress

Many may try convincing themselves that they’re not stressed and handling everything well, but their eyes could tell a different story.  

Studies show that abnormally fast blinking patterns can indicate that you’re under a lot of stress. So much so you can rack up a whopping 100 blinks per minute when stressed out.   

Liars don’t blink

An example of eyes giving the game away is the changes during lying. Liars typically forget to blink while telling a lie due to the focus on the details, then rapidly blink once the lie is told.  

Traci Brown, Body Language Expert, says: “There is significant evidence that blinks rate and weight can play a part in indicating deception. Typically, if their blinking changes, it will get less rapid during the lie and increase dramatically after the lie is told. However, it is important to note that blinking is just a piece of the puzzle. It is vital to pay attention to other factors in their body language and tone to aid in detecting deception.”   

Take Bill Clinton’s infamous six-minute speech regarding his affair with Monica Lewinsky as a prime example. He blinked straight after saying vitally important words such as “sexual”, “relations”, “Lewinsky”, and “never”. How he punctuated his lies with a stress-relieving blink shows that his preoccupation was getting his lie out. 

So, those looking to catch out a master of deception may be able to decipher their blinking pattern to help get to the truth. 

The look of love: Fast blinking, the date is into you

Blinking (actually, blink rate) is a significant indicator of mental arousal, and it can show us when we’re excited, nervous and even bored. Along with other body language cues, it can show us when we’re excited, nervous and even bored.

If your date flutters their eyes at you, it could indicate they’re pretty nervous but excited to be on the date with you. This is especially true if coupled with other classic nervous behaviour like sweating, fidgeting, or tapping.