The 04/15/2016
According to a British study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, it would be possible to scientifically explain why we close our eyes when we kiss.
Focus on the kiss
A team of researchers from Royal Holloway University in London has sought to understand why lovers close their eyes when kissing.
Do we do it out of mimicry, out of need for privacy, out of search for sensations? It is in fact to multiply the sensations of touch that we would deprive ourselves of sight, because visual stimulation reduces tactile perception.
According to the researchers, the brain struggles to focus on two senses at the same time. We see it with the blind, who have a much more subtle sense of smell and hearing than ours… ” Putting aside the vision leaves more mental resources to focus on other aspects of our experience. Says Dr. Polly Dalton, co-author of the study.
Interesting prospects
To reach these conclusions, the researchers asked 16 volunteers to agree to have their feet and hands tied. Headphones prevented them from hearing what was going on outside. The researchers asked them to focus on a low or high level visual task. The greater the visual concentration, the less able they were to tell if they had felt contact with their hands..
These conclusions open the way to good research perspectives, particularly in the context of road safety. ” Our research suggests, for example, that drivers will be less attentive to warning signals if they are already concentrating on another visual task, such as looking at their GPS for direction. ”, Explained Sandra Murphy, another project manager.
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