We often say that the eyes are the windows to the soul.
But what if they were also the very first language we ever learned to speak?
Long before babies utter their first words, they are already fluent in a form of silent communication—one that is hardwired into the human brain.
New research shows that infants, as young as seven months old, can subconsciously interpret emotions and intent just by looking into someone’s eyes.
This incredible ability is more than just a quirk of human development—it’s a survival mechanism.
A study led by psychologists Sarah Jessen of the Max Planck Institute in Germany and Tobias Grossmann of the University of Virginia in the U.S. has revealed that babies not only recognize emotional expressions in the eyes, but their brains actually respond to them in real time.
This suggests that our ability to connect with others through eye contact is innate and crucial to human social interaction.
How Can Babies Understand Eyes So Early?
Humans are unique in the animal kingdom for having a large, visible sclera—the white part of the eye—which makes it much easier to track eye movements and read expressions.
Other primates, such as chimpanzees, have darker sclera, making their gaze more difficult to follow.
This evolutionary distinction hints at just how central eye contact is to human communication.
Jessen and Grossmann set out to test just how early in life humans begin to interpret these subtle but vital social cues.
They worked with seven-month-old babies, exposing them to various schematic images of human eyes.
Some of the eyes displayed fearful expressions, wide open with a large amount of visible sclera.
Others showed neutral expressions, appearing passive and unengaged.
The eyes in the images either looked directly at the baby or gazed off to the side.
To further test their hypothesis, the researchers included a set of reverse-color images, where the whites of the eyes were black, and the pupils were white.
Each image flashed on a screen for just 50 milliseconds—long enough for the babies’ brains to register what they saw, but too quick for conscious thought to take place.
Meanwhile, the infants wore EEG caps, which recorded their brain activity in real time. The results were astonishing.
The Brain Sees What the Eyes Do—Even Without Thinking
The EEG scans revealed a clear pattern: when babies looked at fearful eyes, their brains reacted differently than when they saw neutral eyes.
This response was particularly noticeable in the frontal regions of the brain, which are associated with attention and emotion processing.
Even more intriguing, the babies’ brains also responded differently depending on whether the eyes were looking directly at them or to the side.
However, when shown the reverse-colored eyes, the infants’ brains failed to differentiate between fearful and neutral expressions.
This finding underscores a crucial point: our brains rely heavily on the contrast and position of the sclera to interpret emotions in others.
Without this visual cue, even the most instinctive social responses break down.
The Truth About Eye Contact and Communication
For decades, many believed that babies gradually learn social skills through experience, picking up cues from their parents and caregivers over time.
This study challenges that assumption entirely.
The ability to read emotions through eye contact isn’t just learned—it’s hardwired into the human brain from birth.
This discovery has profound implications.
It suggests that much of human interaction is based on subconscious processing rather than deliberate learning.
In other words, even before we can speak, our brains are already wired to connect, interpret, and respond to others.
This could explain why eye contact is so powerful in social situations—whether it’s forging bonds, asserting dominance, or sensing danger.
A Deeper Look at Human Social Development
The ability to interpret social cues at such a young age likely plays a major role in how infants form attachments and develop trust.
Eye contact is one of the first interactions between babies and their caregivers, helping to establish secure bonds and enhance early cognitive development.
Understanding this mechanism could also shed light on developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), where difficulties with eye contact and social cue processing are common.
If infants naturally respond to eye expressions, but some children exhibit weaker responses, this could be an early indicator of atypical neurological development.
The Future of Eye-Tracking Research
Jessen and Grossmann’s study is just the beginning.
Moving forward, researchers hope to explore how these early eye-reading abilities evolve over time and what factors influence their development.
Could cultural differences affect how infants interpret eye contact?
Do babies raised in more expressive environments develop stronger responses?
Advancements in eye-tracking technology and neuroimaging techniques may help answer these questions, giving us deeper insight into the foundations of human communication.
Your Eyes Are Saying More Than You Think
The next time you make eye contact with someone, consider this: the ability to understand and respond to emotions through eye contact is one of the oldest and most deeply ingrained human traits.
It’s a skill we are born with, not one we simply acquire over time.
From infancy, our brains are tuned in to the silent language of the eyes, guiding us toward connection, survival, and understanding.
So while words may be powerful, sometimes, all it takes is a look to speak volumes.
