The well-known saying that fear has big eyes is most often used when a person is afraid to take on a new task.
But from a scientific point of view, everything is true. Fear really does make the eyes and pupils bigger.
This topic interested the staff from the University of Tübingen. The results of the work were published in Nature.
During the experiment, scientists practiced on mice.
They did not scare the rodents, but simply showed them colorful pictures, recording the activity of neurons in the visual cortex of the brain.
During long-term observation, scientists came to the conclusion that alertness or fear caused the rodent's pupil to dilate.
At the same time, the sensitivity of neurons changed in literally a few seconds.
Analyzing the obtained data, scientists came to the conclusion that a dilated pupil transmits light better.
In other words, the eyes don't just get bigger when you're afraid. This function allows you to see danger better.
Earlier we talked about how to spend time usefully in the summer.
