Who do you see in your eyes?

Vinita Dawra Nangia
10 November 2013, 08:29 AM IST

Looking deep into your own eyes, or another's, can be an uncomfortable experience because not all of us are prepared for the truths revealed

Yesterday morning I woke up and saw a monk in my eyes – a peaceful soul, all desire spent, content with life. I was mesmerised by the twin pools of tranquility, and reassured. This morning, the monk had left, and in his place I saw a determined young person with a look of inflexibility. Questioningly, I probed deeper and got back an opaque, annoyed stare. Sometimes I see a cynical old person with a world-weary look; at times, the old person is kind and dewy-eyed with loving, warm eyes. But I also often see a boisterous youth full of hope and enthusiasm. And then there is the naughty sparkle some mornings, which heralds the mischievous child within me.

Indeed, I often wonder who are these people peeping from my eyes… are they all one? It is like seeing a new person every morning when I look into the mirror. The dweller of my eyes changes moods often, and I have to then spend time unravelling and understanding what these moods portend for the coming day. The one who peeps from my eyes in the morning gives me an indication of what I have really been thinking, how I really feel about something beyond the social mask, of the dialogue I had with my soul.

We have all heard that eyes are the windows to the soul; they indicate the real you. Have you tried looking deep into your own eyes? Most people are scared of doing so, even as self-help gurus encourage us to do so. For, our eyes can sometimes reveal truths that we are not prepared to face. You could fool the whole world and even yourself into believing whatever your mind wants you to believe, but the accusing look, the hurt in your eyes will pull you up sharply. As beautifully put by a poet trying to explain the connection between eyes and the soul, "Eyes mirror our souls… actually they don't. They have been carved out of our souls."

Just like the body, the eyes have a language of their own. Here are some interesting tips from body language experts, which will help you unravel the language of the eyes. Too much blinking can indicate discomfort, while someone who hardly blinks may be trying to hide something. Looking directly at you? Interested in you and the conversation. Too prolonged a gaze? Threatening and could be obsessive. Looking away frequently? Distracted and hiding something. Looking closely at the eyes of a romantic interest can help you figure out if they are interested in you. Dilated pupils indicate interest.

If a person looks up towards the left, he is trying to visualise an image; when he looks up towards the right, he is trying to remember an actually remembered image. When someone looks down towards the left, experts say he is trying to recreate a remembered taste, touch or vision. When he looks down towards the right, he is talking to himself.

A doctor looks into your eyes to gauge your health because the eyes are the only part of the body where a doctor can see veins, arteries and a nerve without having to cut you open. Eyes can indicate liver diseases, diabetes and even cholesterol. Very recently, research has indicated that scientists can look into the eyes through n o n - i nva s ive means and watch the workings of dopamine (the brain's reward neurons which account for feelings of happiness and contentment right after chocolates, sex or drugs!) within a person. This is a revolutionary discovery because a study of the working of dopamine can indicate who are the people most likely to gamble, abuse drugs, become obese or even get Parkinson's disease or schizophrenia!

One cannot exaggerate the number of songs and poetry penned about eyes. Be it romance, grief, happiness, shock, shyness, thrill or passion – the eyes say it best. One look into each other's eyes, and lovers are lost to the world, such is the effect of the wealth of emotion mirrored in them. And interestingly, when you look deep into another's eyes, you see not just his or her beauty, but even your own mirrored in them.

As the pool said in Oscar Wilde's The Disciple: "But was Narcissus beautiful? I loved Narcissus because, as he lay on my banks and looked down at me, in the mirror of his eyes, I saw even my own beauty mirrored."

View All Posts

It's Your Life — Best of O-zone by Vinita Dawra Nangia. Available at leading bookstores andshopping.indiatimes.com. Or call 8010058888/8010558888. for doorstep delivery