Eyes as round as quarters, mouth pulled into a hideous grimace, New Scientist pulls back the veil on a chilling new study that reveals the survival benefits of looking terrified:
The open eyes allowed quicker detection of objects on the periphery, as well as faster eye movements back and forth, while an open nose took in more air with each breath without any extra effort. An MRI scan confirmed the difference in the space in the nasal cavity.
“These changes are consistent with the idea that fear, for example, is a posture towards vigilance,” says Susskind, “and disgust a posture towards sensory rejection.”