The Eyes Tell a Story

I think we all can agree that you can tell a few things about a person just from their eyes.  Some people have sad eyes, sparkly eyes, sleepy eyes, or even happy eyes.

Do you find that you’re attracted more to people with engaging eyes? 

In writing, sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint a solid description of a person’s eyes in order to convey a deeper feeling.

“steely gaze”

“eyes filled with overwhelming tears”

“darted from side to side”

From my newest thriller Dark Mind, “a stare that could stop an angry mob dead in its tracks”.

Eyes definitely tell a story, you just have to look and examine them.  Sometimes we cannot put an exact finger on it, but there are a few people who have darkened eyes like a deep abyss.  We all carry our experiences throughout life and many times, it shows in our eyes.

I’ve looked at more than a hundred homicide investigations, which includes mug shots of suspects and various photos of victims.  One thing that stands out to me is the look in the eyes of criminals.  I know that isn’t scientific by any means, but there are definitely signs of a much darker side into a criminal personality, especially in serial killers.

When a person is questioned by police detectives for a homicide investigation, authorities study the entire person including their body language, speech pattern, and how they answer questions.  It’s important to pay close attention to not only what they say, but also what they don’t say.

How can you detect a lie?

According to experts, there are some basic visual accessing cues:

Eyes up to the left

Indicates the person “visually constructed” or thinking about what someone asked or said with an imagination aspect.

Eyes up and to the right

Indicates the person “visually remembered image” with something that they’ve seen or remembered.

Eyes to the left

Indicates the person “auditory constructed” when they’ve never heard a particular sound before.

Eyes to the right

Indicates the person “auditory remembered” a particular sound they’ve experienced sometime in their life.

Eyes down to the left

Indicates “feeling” when they’ve remembered or recalled a smell, feeling, or taste.

Eyes down to the right

Indicates “internal dialogue” when they’re talking internally to themselves.

These visual accessing cues are not completely accurate on their own, but must be taken into consideration with overall body language and verbal content.

I thought I would post a test about eyes for fun.  I have randomly put together seven sets of eyes.  Can you pick out the serial killers and identify them?  I’ve posted the answers at the bottom of this post.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

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Author Blog: https://authorjenniferchase.com/
Crime Watch Blog: http://emilystonecrimewatch.wordpress.com/
Book & Crime Talk:  http://blogtalkradio.com/jennifer-chase
Books: Compulsion  Dead Game  Dark Mind  Silent Partner  Screenwriting
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Answers:
1. Ted Bundy – serial killer
2. Aileen Wurnos – serial killer
3. David Berkowitz – serial killer
4. Jennifer Chase – author and criminologist
5. Luke Goss – actor
6. Joachim Kroll – serial killer
7. Anthony Hopkins – actor

About jchasenovelist

Published thriller author, criminologist, and blogger.
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7 Responses to The Eyes Tell a Story

  1. donnagalanti says:

    Fascinating post, Jennifer…and one I will be using on people in conversation, just for fun…now whether to tell them about what I discover is another thing…

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  2. Okay, so I don’t know a serial killer when I’m looking at him. Good thing I’ve already found my man!

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  3. jvonbargen says:

    Wow. That’s intriguing, Jennifer!! Thanks for the edumacation!! Great write!

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  4. jack durish says:

    I had a friend who had a detached muscle on his left eye and could roll it up until the pupil disappeared. It kept him out of the Army but I don’t know if it could keep him out of jail…

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  5. Dee Krull says:

    Very interesting Jennifer, good subject. I would have to say some of what you said is actually incorrect according to Bandler and Grender the brothers who gave the ability to read people a name, NLP which stands for Neuro-linguensitc Programing. There are three different ways to do this which has nothing to do with the eyes per say. Through breathing, eye direction and words you can tell whether a person is Visual, Auditory, and Kinnestic (feeling). looking up is Visual, to the side is Auditory and Kinnestic is always down and to the right. When someone looks to the left he is accessing his left brain to figure out what you have said; when they look to the right they are remembering something already experienced; Kinnestic is always to the right because this person is creative and pulls from experience. I am not saying your information is completely wrong but I have been using these techniques to test and work with clients for over 30 years as a Clinical Hypnotherapist. There is enough information about this to make you go nuts but the basics are the above. The name of the best book from B & G is “Frogs into Princes,” it is a very interesting read.

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  6. successbmine says:

    Very interesting, Jennifer. I have always believed you can tell a lot from people’s eyes, but had never actually heard these theories before. I did choose a couple of them correctly, but not all. Although some people have learned the knack of putting an invisible veil over their eyes, for the most part I think the old saying “The eyes are the window of the soul” is true. But you also have to be observant to see what they eyes are saying.

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  7. Sony says:

    I freaked myself out I got all the serial killers right.Am a good observer.

    Like

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