Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

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Bill Glasheen
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Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

Post by Bill Glasheen »

This was just recently published. One of the authors is from my alma mater. More later.

- Bill

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

vol. 111 no. 45 > Sarah Jessen, 16208–16213, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1411333111

Unconscious discrimination of social cues from eye whites in infants

Sarah Jessen (a) and Tobias Grossmanna (b)

a) Early Social Development Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
b) Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904

Significance
The human eye with its prominent white sclera is thought to facilitate social and cooperative interactions among humans. While there is evidence for brain mechanisms that allow for the unconscious detection of eye cues in adults, it is not known whether this ability of the human brain emerges early in ontogeny and can therefore be considered a key feature of human social functioning. The current study provides neural evidence for the unconscious detection of emotion and gaze cues from the sclera in 7-mo-old infants. Our findings demonstrate the existence of fast, efficient, and reliable social cue detection mechanisms in the human infant brain that likely provide a vital foundation for the development of social interactive skills.

Abstract
Human eyes serve two key functions in face-to-face social interactions: they provide cues about a person’s emotional state and attentional focus (gaze direction). Both functions critically rely on the morphologically unique human sclera and have been shown to operate even in the absence of conscious awareness in adults. However, it is not known whether the ability to respond to social cues from scleral information without conscious awareness exists early in human ontogeny and can therefore be considered a foundational feature of human social functioning. In the current study, we used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to show that 7-mo-old infants discriminate between fearful and nonfearful eyes (experiment 1) and between direct and averted gaze (experiment 2), even when presented below the perceptual threshold. These effects were specific to the human sclera and not seen in response to polarity-inverted eyes. Our results suggest that early in ontogeny the human brain detects social cues from scleral information even in the absence of conscious awareness. The current findings support the view that the human eye with its prominent sclera serves critical communicative functions during human social interactions.
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

Post by Bill Glasheen »

Note the arrow pointing to sclera (a.k.a. whites of the eyes).

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Allison Gopnik of the WSJ wrote:Human eyes have much larger white areas than the eyes of other animals and so are easier to track. When most people, including tiny babies, look at a face, they concentrate on the eyes. People with autism, who have trouble understanding other minds, often don’t pay attention to eyes in the same way, and they have trouble meeting or following another person’s gaze. All this suggests that we may be especially adapted to figure out what our fellow humans see and feel from their eyes.
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

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The Shinjo family

1) Father Seiyu
2) Son Kiyohide
3) Son Narahiro

In my opinion they have the most ferocious Sanchin gazes in Uechi Ryu karate. If you were in the room with them, you very well may hear teeth grinding - a Shinjo family original.

- Bill

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Stryke
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

Post by Stryke »

some sort of feeling state? , that mind body link thing again. Hard to find one without the other
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

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Good subject.
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

Post by Bill Glasheen »

I talk a lot about this in my classes - especially with the younger kids. I make it real with the eyes. Where the horse goes, so goes the cart.

Emphasis in red is my own. I had to edit this article for stupid mistakes.

- Bill
fightingarts.com wrote: Mushin
The State of Mind


By Christopher Caile

.......... Image
.......... The Japanese term Mushin is comprised of two characters (kanji),
.......... "Mu" (left) meaning negation and
.......... "Shin" (right) meaning heart, mind, spirit or feeling.



The Japanese term Mushin is a shortened version of the Zen expression "mushin no shin" which translates as "the mind without mind" or "no-mindness." This means a fully awake and aware mind not fixed or occupied by emotion or thought (implying the eyes or any other sensory input also not fixed or occupied on any specific awareness, action or target).

Mushin thus implies a state of mental clarity, awareness and enhanced perception (sensory and intuitive) known as pure mind, produced by the absence of conscious thought, ideas, judgments, emotion (fear and anxiety), pre-conception, or self-consciousness. It is a state of total awareness and reaction not impeded by higher mental function or emotion, a mind more open and reactive to subtle sensory input, intuition and spontaneous action. It is a mind that is totally calm -- a mind not influenced or caught up in events or others emotion, thus a mind more able to freely perceive and respond.

In Zen this mind state is achieved through the process of meditative training. The goal is to enhance awareness (zanshin) and sensitivity, while reducing thought and emotion to allow intuitive and spontaneous action - to let the body, not the thinking or emotional mind, to take charge.

Mushin is prevalent throughout all Japanese arts, from flower arrangement (Ikebana) to calligraphy (Shodo) to modern martial arts. A friend who studied Japanese flower arrangement once told me that the state of mind was the biggest difference between Western flower arrangement and what she had learned in Japan: That in Japan her arrangements were intuitive and seemed to flow outward from her non-conscious mind.

The New York Police Department also teaches new recruits the importance of keeping a clear, non-emotional mind in difficult, potentially violent or emotional situations. They teach recruits not to feed anger or emotion and instead to allow calm authority and verbal strategies to resolve issues and gain compliance when possible.

For the Japanese classical warrior (Samurai or Bushi), or the 20th century soldier equivalent, as well as modern martial artists, mushin or clear mind is equally important. On the battlefield it could mean the difference between life and death. The Samurai recognized that the state of mind was an equal partner to technical weapons training. When potential death faces you from multiple directions, awareness had to be encompassing. Recognition of danger and response needed to be instantaneous, the body and weapon fully committed in powerful action without concern for the self or hesitation of thought.

This required the non-conscious mind and the instinctive trained body to be free. No longer inhibited, slowed, distracted, or clogged, the mind was free to fully perceive, respond and commit to action. The mind is not fixed on anything and is open to everything; a mind expanded through the whole body with total awareness of and focus on everything. (1)

The concept of Mushin was developed by Hui-Neng (Wei lang in Chinese), the sixth Patriarch, or successor to Bodhidharma, who brought to China (and the Shaolin Monastery from India) meditative Buddhism and the concept that all the world comes from the mind and meditation should be used to attain a state of pure mind without stain or dust. The concept is closely akin to the Taoist concept of stillness (inside) within motion, a concept closely akin to Fudo and Fudoshin (derived from the Buddhist deity Fudo myoo, a deity portrayed as calm within a ring of fire). Lao-Tsu (the 6th century Chinese philosopher who fathered of Taoism) said "The stillness within stillness is not the true stillness (as in meditation), the true stillness is within motion."

It is widely believed (but not always so) that Zen (and its mediation practices) was an important element of the ancient Japanese Warrior practice to develop Mushin.. (1) In reality the influence of Zen on Japanese martial arts is a more modern reality than an ancient one. But Zen meditation was not the only path to a mushin-like mind state. War, combat and experience dealing with danger, all promote clarity of mind and enhanced awareness. Experience itself (if survived) allows modern day experienced soldiers to survive, they are sensitized to see almost invisible trip wires, the senses honed to recognize patterns and subtle signs of roadside danger, or the presence enemies hidden behind buildings. This experience is also what allows an experienced law enforcement personnel to sense danger on the street, a potential crime situation, or an impending assault.

The modern view of Zen and the martial arts was promulgated largely by several factors. First was the relationship of the famous Japanese Zen monk, Takuan Soho, and the founder of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Yagyu Munenori (1570-1646), one of the most famous sword schools in Japan. (2)

Takuan also is known to be a friend and advisor to Miyamoto Musashi (further lending credability to the idea of Zen's influnce). Musashi (c. 1584 – June 13, 1645), was a sword master and ronin (masterlessw warrior). He created a unique two handed sword school (know today as Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu) and was made famous through his many sucessful duels recounted in books and publications ever since. Musashi is also famous for his "Book Of Five Rings" (Go Rin No Sho), a book on strategy, tactics and philopshy peopular even today amoung martial artists and in business. Musash was also an accomlished Zen inspirted artist and calligrapher.

Takuan related the proper state of mind to flowing. He wrote "The mind must always be in the state of 'flowing,' for when it stops anywhere, that means the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption that is injurious to the well-being of the mind." (The Unfettered Mind)

Today much of modern Japanese karate and other martial arts have adopted Zen into their practice. Here Zen is not considered as a religion but as a meditivate practice and philosphy of simplicity that stresses reduction of ego, where hard, dedicated practice conditions the mind and body (the path) towards self-development. Zen type mediation within these groups is used to condition the mind toward the state of mushin (having nothing to do with religious beliefs or doctrine).

Learning to develop and apply mushin is not easy. For some practical advice on this subject, see my article on FightingArts.com entitled : Fighting Zen - How Meditation Can Enhance Your Fighting Skills.

Footnotes:

1-While it is thought by many that the classical Samurai warrior used Zen mediation to achieve a mushin mind, historical records are not so clear. Zen did have an important cultural impact on Japanese culture and art. But the classical Samurai were more prone to esoteric Buddhism practices and rituals to attain divine protection and promote a type of self-hypnotism to armor and focus the psych. These warriors looked to foster divine assistance to bolster their battlefield percentages. Esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyo Buddhism) and its ritual practices was one source of assistance and magical power. Esoteric Buddhism was founded on teachings of the Indian monk Nagarjuna) where requests for assistance were directed towards various deities such as Fudo-myoo and Marishiten as go between to reach the most influential Buddha deity, Dainichi Nyorai. Included within these practices were chanting, use of sacred incantations or mantras and specific finger entanglements or mudras as well as inscriptions (use of specific characters, (many of which were modified Sanskrit characters often inscribed on weapons which was thought to provide protection) -- all which also worked on a psychological level ti induce a self-hypnotic state of mind akin to mushin, to armor and focus the warrior's psyche. The mental state achieved was similar to mushin but one also invigorated by indomitable will to action fostered under a protective wing of the divine.

2- Some of Takuan Soho writings have been translated by William Scott Wilson into English in the book, "The Unfettered Mind."


About the Author:

Christopher Caile is the founder and Editor of FightingArts.com.
Stryke
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

Post by Stryke »

Good stuff

I had to post about feeling state because I could feel the Mushin coming .... :)

this stuff is important , because the thoughtful brain , the story brain , just isn't quick enough , if your using emotion to write that story well same loop same result .

Now Mushin , Zen , the zone etc , is all about getting that out of the way of your learned response .

so far so good ....

but wait , did we just say we need a furious gaze and an unemotional response ?

no wonder its so confusing .

there's all sorts of ways to try convey the experience , and different ways to explain it , and while there all probably right in a sense , they aren't really describing the experience itself .

One of the ideas I present is listening , if your trying to listen to something is it possible to listen harder? , can you exert more hearing ? , or do you need to pay more attention.

it's about not narrowing your attention down , but opening your attention up , every time you narrow or focus down look for a specific , write an idea or story , you build road blocks to that just might not match what really happens.

Now if you can do this and add energy , impetus , aggression and maybe even a glare is it still a distracting emotion?

not in my book .

The good news is this stuff is not that hard to train , while some might like sitting in lotus etc , there's a reason for the rest of us they call them focus pads , having someone who can really work them take you through drilling they can lead you to this magical place as its the only way to keep up and really do it right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nnWH2IEECM


I'm sure there are lots of folks with creative drills out there to force people past there normal thought patterns , and force them to react directly .

pressure makes diamonds
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

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Great post! It's as if you were reading my mind.

There are two things going on here, and I talk about both when I teach. I also freely admit that I'm still figuring it all out. Aren't we all?

First is the concept that the eyes are the window into the mind. For most students this isn't a biggie. If you've got a kid in Sanchin whose eyes are tracking you around the room, you know they totally don't get it. I give demonstrations were I look forward in the room and - without moving my eyes - tell everyone everything that's going on in the room from the extreme left to the extreme right. Look at nothing and see everything. Be distracted by nothing but be aware of it all. That is the visual manifestation of mushin. And where the eyes go, the mind follows.

Where the horse goes, so goes the cart.

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The exact opposite and worst case scenario is tunnel vision and auditory exclusion. On a grander scale it's being distracted by that guy who bumps you while a second person picks your pocket.

The second thing is more subtle, and the original topic of this thread. You see... The point of the original article is that - for most people - recognition of emotional state is hard-wired in our reptilian brain. If a baby can do it, then the basics are there. We just get better at it with age.

That said...

When I teach about Sanchin eyes and Sanchin posture, I explain to my students that a simple but subtle shift from careless standing to "standing with purpose" sends a subliminal message to a would-be attacker. When being interviewed by a neer-do-well, you don't want to break bad into a karate stance (of doom). That's just silly. However... A pelvic tuck, a rolling of the shoulders, a dropping of the chin, and "mushin eyes" sends a message. Even to the untrained eye, you are getting in their head.

Here's the thing I ponder about. Do we superimpose a "fierce face", or do we give them the blank gaze? There *is* a difference. Nine times out of ten, I'm giving the neer-do-well that blank stare. It's as if I'm looking through them. The rest of the posture ever-so-subtly engages. I truly believe you can speak volumes without ever saying a word, and I'd a lot rather dialogue their primal brain than let their ego make them to do something stupid.

- Bill
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

Post by Stryke »

Good post
Here's the thing I ponder about. Do we superimpose a "fierce face", or do we give them the blank gaze? There *is* a difference. Nine times out of ten, I'm giving the neer-do-well that blank stare. It's as if I'm looking through them. The rest of the posture ever-so-subtly engages. I truly believe you can speak volumes without ever saying a word, and I'd a lot rather dialogue their primal brain than let their ego make them to do something stupid.
we refer to the intent in terms of temperature a cold intent to a hot intent .

the intent is the same , the energy not so much .

the thing with these ques well , they cant be an act , but the link can be used , can be practiced IMHO , its just like trying to defend an attack with passive posture , not likely to happen , same with your emotional projection( emotion maybe a poor word for some) your going to have a hard time being aggressive using a sad or happy face.

Do some need the ques , yes , can we use them , yes , but the thing really recognised is the belief and congruency. We can smell the lie.

Having a cold intent IMHO requires a lot of experience and awareness , and is not to be confused with a dissosociative state which many often confuse with such calm obsessive determination.(but that's probably up to the shrinks to decide)

I think if we superimpose anything were going down the wrong rabbit hole , now if you can stand a level above it and watch yourself turn it on ... well :evilbat:
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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

Post by fivedragons »

On a lighter note.

Stryke: "the thing really recognised is the belief and congruency. "

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Re: Why the eyes and our gaze are so important

Post by fivedragons »

It's not hard. You look at people and see them for what they are. All those expressions don't mean anything, except how they see themselves, and what they want you to see. Time and space remain the same.

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