What Does It Mean When Someone Has Blue Eyes?
Whether you’re a brown-eyed girl or five-foot-two, eyes of blue, it’s what’s inside that counts. Seriously, we mean that. Your eye color has everything to do with your genetics, and if you’re blue eyed, you can probably figure out who’s a distant relative just by looking at them.
– It could be said that all eyes are the same color, That’s because the pigment that gives our eyes color, melanin, is naturally brown. In fact, originally, “we all had brown eyes,” a professor from the University of Copenhagen, Hans Rudolf Litchoff Eiberg, PhD, told Science Daily, Somewhere along the way, however, someone was born with a genetic mutation, Dr.
Eiberg explains. That genetic mutation limited the amount of melanin the person’s eyes could produce, with the visual effect being that the eyes appeared blue, rather than brown. Interesting, you might be thinking, but what do blue eyes genetics have to do with me? Well, the fact that all (so-called!) blue eyes descend from a single genetic mutation means that every single person on the planet with blue eyes descended from one common ancestor.
- In fact, a team of geneticists at the University of Copenhagen actually traced that mutation all the way back to a single Danish family.
- By linkage analysiswe fine-mapped the blue-eye color,” Dr.
- Eiberg’s team reported in the journal, Human Genetics,
- Through that analysis, it was discovered that an identifiable group of genes had been inherited together from one single parent—the scientific word for a group of genes inherited together from a single parent is ” haplotype,” The identified haplotype was common not just among 155 blue-eyed individuals from Denmark, but also five blue-eyed individuals from Turkey, and two blue-eyed individuals from Jordan.
In addition to haplotype mapping, Dr. Eiberg’s team conducted mitochondrial DNA analysis, which looks at patterns of genetic mutation to trace maternal ancestry back hundreds of thousands of years. “Variation in the color of the eyes from brown to green can all be explained by the amount of melanin in the iris, but blue-eyed individuals only have a small degree of variation in the amount of melanin in their eyes,” Dr.
Eiberg notes. “From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestorThey have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA.” Brown-eyed individuals, by contrast, have considerable individual variation in the area of their DNA that controls melanin production.
So, are blue eyes a mutation? Yes. But is that a good thing or a bad thing? Neither, according to Dr. Eiberg. “It simply shows that nature is constantly shuffling the human genome, creating a genetic cocktail of human chromosomes and trying out different changes as it does so.” What we can presume, however, is that the color of our eyes is not the only thing trait that went along with the mutation that led to that color.
higher melanoma risk more likely to be competitive lower vitiligo risk
To find out more about your own ancestry, you can try genetic testing, But be aware that you may not always be prepared for what you find out.
What is the smartest eye color?
They’re touted as being the window to the soul, but a new study says your eyes might provide a look into your personality, too. The study from the University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales, published in Current Psychology, links a person’s eye color with how agreeable that person is.
- Researchers found that those with lighter-colored (blue and green) eyes tended to be less agreeable and more competitive than their brown-eyed peers.
- Blue and green eyes were also linked to being egocentric and skeptical of others while those with brown eyes were seen as more altruistic, sympathetic and willing to help others.
The explanation for eye color serving as a benchmark for agreeableness could be cultural. “Brown eyes are more common, so it could be that there is a sense of ‘belonging’ or fitting in with those who have dark eyes,” Ramani Durvasula, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, professor of psychology and neuropsychological researcher.
Brown eyes may also be more likely to come from cultures where a trait like agreeableness is more culturally and societally valued than in blue-eyed cultures.” “Blue eyes may seem cooler while brown eyes perhaps seem warmer. That can then be manifested by stereotypes about competition, agreeableness, etc.,” adds Durvasula.
Agreeableness isn’t the only personality trait connected to eye color. A recent survey conducted by CyberPulse, a division of Impulse Research Corporation in Los Angeles uncovered this colorful research. Brown Eyes Intelligence was the number one trait associated with brown, the most common eye color in the U.S., by 34 percent of respondents.
Being trustworthy was second (16 percent said this) and kind (13 percent) came in as the third most likely trait of those with brown eyes. Other research has said brown eyed people have stronger eye contact skills, with researchers speculating this could be because they don’t anticipate being looked at as much as blue eyed people.
Blue Eyes The most common characteristic thought to be associated with blue-eyed individuals: exuding sweetness by (42 percent), with being sexy (21 percent) and kind (10 percent) rounding out the top three. Interestingly, in contrast to brown eyes, blue eyes were not associated with intelligence as only 7 percent of respondents thought of blue-eyed people as intelligent.
- Green Eyes Twenty-nine percent of participants associated green eyes with sexiness, the top characteristic thought to be related to this color.
- Green-eyes was also thought of as creative (25 percent) and a little devious (20 percent).
- Being trustworthy and shy was also linked to green-eyed people.
- No matter their color, a majority of people (60 percent) wished they could change their own hue.
The most wished for color? Green, with 27 percent of respondents saying they’d switch to green eyes if given the chance. Coming in at a close second was amethyst while 18 percent expressed the desire to have blue eyes. “While it’s not often studied, the link between eye color and personality is very interesting,” says Durvasula.
What eye color is prettiest?
The most popular coloured contacts – We’ve researched what colours people are most keen to try out using Google search data. We found that green is the most popular lens colour, with brown coming in a close second, despite it being one of the most common eye colours. Although blue and hazel are seen as the most attractive eye colours for men and women they are surprisingly the least popular.
Are people with blue eyes untrustworthy?
Brown eyes appear more trustworthy than baby blues Brown-eyed faces, like Hugh Jackman’s, are perceived as more trustworthy, a new study has found. Carlo Allegri / Reuters file
- Gazing into people’s eyes can offer insight into whether they can be trusted, and according to new research, this perception may have something to do with eye color.
- A published in the journal PLOS ONE found that brown-eyed people are believed to be more trustworthy than blue-eyed people.
- Does that mean that you can trust well-known brown-eyed girls (and boys) like Hugh Jackman and Sandra Bullock more than Jude Law and Reese Witherspoon?
- Not exactly, since eye color doesn’t paint the whole picture of what trustworthiness looks like.
“It is not eye color, but face shape associated with eye color that causes the higher perception of trustworthiness,” wrote lead study author Karel Kleisner of Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, in an email to NBCNews.com. ”
- Kleisner and his colleagues asked more than 200 students to rate how much they could trust a series of 80 male and female faces with either brown or blue eyes.
- Subjects rated the brown-eyed faces as being more trustworthy, but that wasn’t the end of the story.
- To demonstrate that eye color isn’t the final answer when it comes to trustworthiness, the researchers then asked a second group of students to rate the same faces, but with the eye colors digitally switched.
Sorry, Jude Law, but there’s just something about those baby blues we don’t entirely trust. Torsten Laursen / Getty Images file The faces rated the most trustworthy by the first group received similar ratings from the second group, even though the eyes were now different colors.
- On the other hand, blue eyes tend to be smaller, meaning many blue-eyed faces are pointier and longer with eyebrows that are far apart.
- Favoring those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes may have some social implications, Kleisner explained.
- “This may further lead to social stereotypes that affect a broad range of social situations from mate choice and business partner selection to political marketing and democratic processes,” he wrote.
- But despite being viewed as less trustworthy, blue-eyed individuals may have something working in their favor – at least in Northern Europe.
Blue eyes, the authors explained, are very common throughout that part of the world, most likely because they are considered more attractive. The preference for blue eyes, they added, makes up for the perceived lack of trustworthiness. Kleisner added that the research needs to be replicated using different photos and different subjects, and he cautioned against over-interpreting the significance of the findings.
Why do blue eyes see better in the dark?
Adjusting to Darkness: How Our Eyes See at Night It’s escaped no one’s attention that this year’s name is also the term for sharp vision—2020. So let’s check out your vision in the sky! Plus, here are some fun facts about how long it takes for our eyes to adjust to darkness and whether your night vision is affected by your eye color.
- The human eye is amazing and uses different modes to see during the daytime and to see at night, and can also Living in Full Color: Photopic Vision People who move from a city into a rural area are often spooked by the darkness.
- City streetlights provide enough brightness to let our retina’s cone-shaped cells operate.
This yields “photopic vision” which lets people see sharply, and in color. Seeing in the Dark: Scotopic Vision But at night in the country, we only get to use our rod-shaped cells, which bestows scotopic vision. Scotopic kicks in when things are dim, but its not a great way to perceive the world.
First off, rods are colorblind. Next, there’s not a single rod lurking in the middle one degree of vision; So in low light situations we suffer a one degree blind spot straight ahead, twice the size of the moon. (There’s also a second, better known blind spot present in bright light. But this one’s off to the side, and we don’t usually notice it: If an object is hidden at the blind spot of one eye it will be seen by the other.) Another quirk of rods is that they’re very slow-acting, which is why night sensitivity takes at least 5 minutes. When you first switch off your bedroom lights, you probably see nothing at all. After a few minutes, things in the room become obvious. On top of all these failings, scotopic vision only delivers 20/200, ten times less sharp than photopic vision. You’ve always sensed the truth of this. Sharp details (like the creases in that shirt you tossed onto the chair), which are so obvious when the lights are on, now become a blur in the dim light. We’re so accustomed to it, we probably associate dimness with vagueness. But it’s those darn rods again.
This is why beginners who buy telescopes are sometimes appalled at how few details appear on galaxies and nebulae, on top of them being colorless. This is why astrophotography is so important: it brings out stuff the human eye would simply never see, even through the largest telescopes.
Combining Both: Mesopic Vision Photopic vision and scotopic vision combine in low but not quite dark lighting situations. A full Moon gives just enough light to slightly get the cones going, while rods are still operating. This is called mesopic vision—both. Here, the cones operate only at their place of peak sensitivity, which happens to be blue-green.
That’s why the natural world in the country will appear that color under this month’s full moon. Suddenly, the night makes sense. A Few More Fun Facts about Night Vision
Can humans see in total darkness? Ever been in a cave when the lights are turned off? Now that’s dark! You can’t see anything—even your own finger in front of your face. Humans can see in the “dark” only if there is some starlight or, better, moonlight. Does eye color affect night sky vision ? According to some studies, there is a slight difference in vision capabilities based on eye color. Light-eyed people (with blue or green eyes) have slightly better night vision because they have less pigment in the iris, which which leaves the iris more translucent and lets more light into the eye. However, dark-eyed people tend to see better in bright sunlight and are less susceptible to glare, because darker irises act like a stronger filter for light. How long does it take to adjust to darkness ? It takes some time (20 to 45 minutes) for your eyes to adapt to the night sky or light-light conditions. Best conditions are on a night with no clouds and a full moon (try it!). When dark adapted, you can see only in black and white (no color). If light hits your face, the dyes in your eyes “bleach” and then have recover their dark-adapted vision. That’s why astronomers get annoyed when someone carelessly shines a white light in their eyes.
Avoid using a bright flashlight at a star party. Some amateur astronomers use red LED lights to view things without ruining their night vision. Of course, this means your eyes have already adpted to the darkness. Some star gazers will put on a pair of sunglasses at least 20 to 30 minutes before venturing in the dark to adjust quickly. BONUS : You’ll also receive our free Beginner Gardening Guide! : Adjusting to Darkness: How Our Eyes See at Night
What is the rarest color of eyes?
Green Eyes – Green is considered by some to be the actual rarest eye color in the world, though others would say it’s been dethroned by red, violet, and grey eyes. 
Green eyes don’t possess a lot of melanin, which creates a Rayleigh scattering effect: Light gets reflected and scattered by the eyes instead of absorbed by pigment. This effect makes the eyes look green, but they don’t actually have green pigmentation.