Blink to the beat: Scientists surprised by music's impact on our eyes

Beijing (dpa) – People unconsciously blink in time with the rhythm of music they are listening to, according to a study published in PLOS Biology by researchers in China. "We found that people’s spontaneous eye blinks fall in step with the musical beat — even without being told to move," said co-author Yi Du of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, sharing her surprise at the phenomenon. "What surprised us most was how reliably a 'small-movement' like blinking locks to the beat — it’s a tiny action that reveals a deep coordination between hearing and action, which we did not expect at all," Yi Du was quoted as saying. For the investigation, the team analysed the behaviour of 123 young adults while they listened to Bach chorales. None of the participants had musical training. The researchers measured their brain activity and eye movements, and found that blinking was linked to a neural response to the rhythm. They interpreted this as an indication that the brain closely tracks the structure of sounds, but only when attention is directed at the music. In a further experiment, participants had to detect a red dot on a screen while listening, and the result was that blinking no longer kept time. The researchers attributed this to the musical patterns being processed less strongly. The following information is not intended for publication dpa pls yyzz n1 may

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