Narrowed Eyes: What They Really Mean

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All the different meanings behind this common facial expression
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Our faces offer a ton of non-verbal cues as to how we’re feeling; “narrowed eyes” is one of them. Often used in literature to describe someone who is trying to suss out a situation, the movement of the eyes speaks volumes. But what else can narrowed eyes symbolize? And what truths can they reveal about the person narrowing them? Keep reading for an in-depth analysis on the meaning of narrowed eyes and how you can decipher them. 

Narrow Eyes Meaning

"Narrowed eyes" refers to a person squinting to communicate anger, suspicion, disgust, or concentration. The term is often used in writing to show how a character is feeling.

Section 1 of 5:

What do “narrowed eyes” mean?

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  1. Narrowed eyes usually indicate the person is feeling a negative emotion. For example, a person may be making their eyes smaller because they want to limit how much they're seeing because they consider it offensive or unpleasant. Or they're angry or suspicious and trying to better figure out a situation, person, place, or thing, deciding whether it is safe or not. [1]
    • A study conducted by the University of Colorado revealed that the openness of the eye was one of the main ways to identify emotion. Narrowed eyes reflected feelings like hatred, disgust, and anger, while wider, more open eyes hinted at emotions like surprise, fear, and awe. 
    • Research suggests that a narrowing gaze was one method used by our ancestors to concentrate, discriminate, and inspect, similar to the way a camera lens zooms in. This feature may have helped hunters determine if a certain area was safe and if their kill was safe to eat.
    • This supports Darwin’s theory that facial expressions are not just used for communication but that they served as important tools to help our species survive. 
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Section 2 of 5:

Emotions Associated with Narrowed Eyes

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  1. Narrowed eyes, sometimes coupled with a wrinkled nose and pursed lips, are a clear sign of disgust. In fact, scientists believe that this facial expression has been passed down from our hunter-gatherer ancestors who made these faces in order to discriminate, sense danger, and examine their surroundings closely. [2]
    • Curled lips and wrinkled noses are linked to disgust because they lead to narrowed nasal passages, which may have blocked the stench from recently killed animals, among other foul smells.
  2. Narrowed eyes and furrowed brows are common ways to describe someone who is angry, but why? Anger is a stress response, and stress leads to a buildup of tension in the body, affecting the eyes. Also, narrowing the eyes may be a way of controlling the hostility of the situation, allowing the person to calm down for a moment without letting any more negative information enter. [3]
  3. This might be the most clearly defined emotion behind narrowed eyes. It’s natural to allow our eyes to shrink into slits when presented with conflicting information, which leads us to examine things more closely. This too, may be a result of evolution, as our ancestors had to be very careful and, therefore, very suspicious of everything and everyone around them. [4]
    • Narrowed eyes serve to sharpen focus, a very helpful biological tool for early humans. 
  4. Just like a camera lens circles in on something to focus, humans squint their eyes in order to focus their vision, thoughts, and feelings. Additionally, people with poor eyesight, and particularly those with nearsightedness, often squint in order to reduce blurriness. [5]
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Section 3 of 5:

How to Describe Narrow Eyes in Writing

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  1. Biologically narrow eyes, or monolids, are typically found in people of Asian descent, so describing a character in writing as having “narrow” eyes might have some racial connotations. If you’re a writer trying to avoid this, or if you’d simply like to describe a non-Asian character as having smaller or slanted eyes for the purpose of adding dimension to their physical appearance and personality, here are some ideas: [6]
    • ”Half-moon eyes”
    • ”Cat eyes”
    • ”Angled eyes”
    • ”Sleepy eyes”
    • ”Sharpened eyes”
    • ”Crescent eyes”
    • ”Eyes like slits”
    • ”Eyes like stripes”
    • "Threaded eyes"
Section 4 of 5:

Narrowed Eyes in Literature

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  1. Instead of telling you how a character feels over and over again, many authors choose to detail facial expressions and body language in order to get the same message across to readers. You could easily stumble upon an angry character being described as having furrowed brows and narrowed eyes. This is a popular trope and equally synonymous with saying someone is suspicious or experiencing disgust. Here are some literary excerpts and examples on how to use this phrase. 
    • “Her eyes narrowed until they were a faint greenish glitter, like a forest pool far back in the shadow of trees.”―Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep [7]
    • “She narrowed her eyes at him. She wanted to tell him that it was his fault, that she would never have tripped if he’d just stayed the same old Jay he’d always been, gangly and childlike. But she knew that she was being irrational.”―Kimberly Derting, The Body Finder [8]
    • “My eyes narrowed. I didn’t like his logical reasoning.” — Jennifer L. Armentrout, Half Blood [9]
    • “She narrowed her eyes. ‘What is our heart’s desire?’ ‘Vengeance.’ His voice was soft, as if he were afraid that someone might be listening. ‘Justice.’”— George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows [10]
    • “He narrowed his eyes to slits so that he could peer into the eyes of this shameless, strutting personage to whom, apparently, modesty was unknown.”—Tomson Highway, Kiss of the Fur Queen [11]
    • “Narrowed eyes and tight lips warned him that Naomi was about to explode.” —Eve Langlais, Delicate Freakn' Flower [12]
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Section 5 of 5:

FAQ

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  1. Narrow eyes are a symptom of various genetic conditions, like Noonan syndrome and Blepharophimosis syndrome. Noonan syndrome affects different parts of the body, including the face and specifically, the eyes. Those with this syndrome may experience stunted growth and a growth hormone may be administered as treatment. Blepharophimosis syndrome directly affects the eyelids along with the ovaries.
    • People with Noonan syndrome typically have wide-set and slanted eyes with droopy eyelids. [13]
    • Those with Blepharophimosis syndrome develop folds on the inner part of the eye that lead to narrow, droopy eye-openings. [14]
  2. According to research, narrowing the eyes is one of the ways cats communicate their emotions with humans. Interestingly enough, narrowed eyes seem to imply a positive emotional interaction, versus the negative reasons humans narrow their eyes, like suspicion. When cats narrow their eyes, it’s usually part of something called a slow-blink sequence, which consists of half-blinks, followed by one final eye narrow or full blink.
    • A 2020 study found that cats were more likely to approach their owners after narrowing their eyes than after any other exchange. [15]
  3. Like in real life, anime characters with squinted or narrow eyes tend to have negative connotations. Characters with narrow eyes may be perceived as evil, aggressive, deceptive, or suspicious. They could also be used to describe characters who are intensely focused, calculating, or plotting something. [16]
    • In anime, wholesome, pure-hearted characters are typically depicted as having huge eyes.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.colorado.edu/today/2017/06/08/stink-eye-other-expressions-likely-originated-survival-mechanisms
      2. ↑ https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2017/04/eye-expressions-offer-glimpse-evolution-emotion
      3. ↑ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language-and-cognition/article/facial-cues-to-anger-affect-meaning-interpretation-of-subsequent-spoken-prosody/AAE7AB770F3714309F2A0AB471DD7135
      4. ↑ https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/we-read-emotions-based-on-how-the-eye-sees.html
      5. ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nearsightedness/symptoms-causes/syc-20375556
      6. ↑ https://www.dabblewriter.com/articles/eyes-ears-mouth-and-nose-character-descriptions-for-your-novel
      7. ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9360410-her-eyes-narrowed-until-they-were-a-faint-greenish-glitter
      8. ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/782892-she-narrowed-her-eyes-at-him-she-wanted-to-tell
      9. ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/14568639-half-blood?page=2
      1. ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/414838-she-narrowed-her-eyes-what-is-our-heart-s-desire-vengeance#:~:text=Sign%20Up%20Now-,She%20narrowed%20her%20eyes.,whispered%2C%20%E2%80%9CFire%20and%20blood .
      2. ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9584275-he-narrowed-his-eyes-to-slits-so-that-he-could
      3. ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10999934-narrowed-eyes-and-tight-lips-warned-him-that-naomi-was
      4. ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/noonan-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20354422
      5. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24529-blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus-inversus-bpes
      6. ↑ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-73426-0
      7. ↑ http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/dec03/ao_1203_3.shtml

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