Why We Blink Less When Listening in Noisy Environments

We all blink 15–20 times a minute, automatically, without thinking. There are several reasons why we blink. One is to stop our eyes from becoming dry. This helps us see. Another reason is to protect our eyes from dust and insect attacks. Scientists think they have found a further reason. Researchers from Concordia University in Canada found that we blink less when we are listening to someone speak. This happens more when there is background noise. The lead researcher said blinking less gives our brain more energy. This allows us to focus on what someone is saying.

The researchers carried out two experiments on 49 participants. The participants listened to sentences being read aloud. In one experiment, there was no background noise. In the other, there was background noise. The people in the test with background noise blinked a lot less. When the background noise increased, blink rates dropped even more. Another researcher said we blink less "when important information is coming". The lead researcher agreed. She said: "We don't just blink randomly. In fact, we blink…less when important information is presented."