Glimpses into the social mind: Decoding messages from faces and eyes.

Abstract

The human brain is fundamentally a social brain, with its perceptual and cognitive systems evolved to support a diverse set of processes aimed at enabling our complex social function. And while in the last decades the field has advanced considerably in understanding the mechanisms by which the perceptual and cognitive faculties support human social behaviour, there remains a lack of knowledge about how social information is communicated between individuals. In my work, I have studied nonverbal visual social signalling via faces and eyes. In this article, I summarize the results from three lines of my research which show that (a) limiting face visibility decreases its social value, (b) eyes transmit key social messages, and (c) group size modulates social messages. Together, these data show that visual signals from faces and eyes convey complex social messages and represent an important vehicle for the communication of social information. Public Significance StatementHumans use faces and eyes to signal social messages. When faces are occluded, their social value is reduced. Eyes are especially powerful social cues. Eyes convey complex social information, with this social communicative process modulated by group size. Together, this research shows how humans connect with others socially and offers novel insights into the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that enable our social interactions.