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Cited by 74Face Recognition and PerceptionEvolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorChild and Animal Learning Development

The role of pupil size in communication. Is there room for learning?

Open access
Kret, Mariska E.·2018·Cognition and Emotion
DOI 10.1080/02699931.2017.1370417
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Abstract

The eyes are extremely important for communication. The muscles around the eyes express emotional states and the size of the pupil signals whether a person is aroused and alert or bored and fatigued. Pupil size is an overlooked social signal, yet is readily picked up by observers. Observers mirror their own pupil sizes in response, which can influence social impressions. In a landmark study by Hess [1975. The role of pupil size in communication. Scientific American, 233(5), 110-119] it was shown that individuals with large pupils are perceived more positively than individuals with small pupils. In that behavioral study, participants were asked to draw pupils in line drawings of faces with empty irises and they drew large pupils in the happy face, and small ones in the angry face. The current study tested 579 participants (aged 4-80 years old) and extended this work by showing that this association between large (small) pupils and a positive (negative) impression develops over age and is absent in children. Several explanations for how individuals through interactions with close others learn that large pupils mean care, interest and attention and small pupils the opposite, are discussed. To conclude, this study shows that pupil size and emotion perception are intertwined but that their relationship develops over age.

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  • Humans have a cognitive tendency to perceive emotional arousal based on iris-pupil contrast and make inferences about a person's personality.

    “humans have a cognitive tendency to perceive emotional arousal based on iris–pupil contrast and make inferences about a person's personality [33–37].”

    From Are dark-eyed dogs favoured by humans? Domestication as a potential driver of iris colour difference between dogs and wolves (2023) · cites this paper as [33]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports that people associate larger pupils with happy faces and perceive them more positively, supporting a link between pupil size, emotion perception, and social impressions. It does not establish that these judgments depend specifically on iris–pupil contrast or that observers infer personality traits. It also says the association appears learned and was absent in young children, qualifying the claim of a general human tendency. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Dilation of pupil size is associated with the perception of positive emotion (e.g. happiness), whereas constriction of the pupil is linked to the perception of negative emotion (e.g. anger, sadness).

    “First, pupil size may reflect emotional and physiological states in humans: dilation of pupil size is associated with the perception of positive emotion (e.g. happiness), whereas constriction of the pupil is linked to the perception of negative emotion (e.g. anger, sadness) [33,34].”

    From Are dark-eyed dogs favoured by humans? Domestication as a potential driver of iris colour difference between dogs and wolves (2023) · cites this paper as [33]

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Barbur, J. (2004). Learning from the pupil: Studies of basic mechan- isms and clinical applications. The visual neurosciences. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  2. Kret, M. E., Tomonaga, M., & Matsuzawa, T. (2014). Chimpanzees and humans mimic pupil-size of conspecifics. PLoS ONE, 9(8), e104886.
  3. Prochazkova, E., & Kret, M. E. (in press). Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.

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Authors
Kret, M. E.
Affiliations
Leiden University (NL)
Corresponding author
Kret, Mariska E.
ORCID
Kret, Mariska E.
Venue
Cognition and Emotion
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2017-08-31
Volume
32
Issue
5
Pages
1139-1145
ISSN
  • 0269-9931 (ISSN-L)
  • 1464-0600
DOI
10.1080/02699931.2017.1370417
OpenAlex
W2752783816
Cited by
74
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2
FWCI
2.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Cognition & Emotion (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (VENI: 016-155-082)
  • Koninklijke Nederlandse Academie van Wetenschappen
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
pupil size, emotion perception, facial expressions, social impressions, age differences, children
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Child, Child, Preschool, Communication, Emotions, Facial Expression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pupil, Reflex, Pupillary, Young Adult

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